Silent night - but not lonely night

Christmas
can be such a joyous time of year - full of school programs, carol sings, and
family events. Homes are beautifully decorated with Christmas trees and
outdoor lights, and who doesn’t like Christmas cookies?

But some
people may not be feeling much joy this holiday season. Maybe a loved one
has died this past year or is serving far away in the military. In some
families, distance is too great to allow for get-togethers. Or maybe a
lost job brings in less income. If grief or unhappiness is affecting your
holiday season, or that of someone close to you, take heart.

It mustn’t have been easy
that first Christmas either. It was after all, just a young couple
traveling a long distance in order to be counted for a census, with only a
donkey for transportation. They had no clean room for the baby’s birth,
just a shelter amid animals and hay. They were not wealthy, and shortly
after the birth were warned by an angel message to flee the country -- and the
murderous King Herod -- and go to Egypt, where they became refugees in a
strange land.

It may have been a “silent
night” centuries ago, when Jesus was born, but it was a night of deep spiritual
joy. The shepherds heard a heavenly host saying, “Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”

Christmas
Eve may be a silent night for us, without the presence of someone we love.
But it can be a night when we too can hear the angel message of divine
Love’s presence with us - and feel the unconditional, powerful love of God.
This is the true meaning of Christmas.

Divine
Love is always present, not as a bodily presence, but as a spiritual presence
always with us – with every one of us. It extends throughout the world,
even into war zones, refugee camps, and countries under tyrannical rule.
Its presence can be felt everywhere, but for this to happen it needs to
be acknowledged. That awareness opens our hearts to its presence and lets
in the comforting, healing love of God.

I know this is true. The
Christmas after my father passed on was a very difficult one. My sister
and I were young, and our progress in making the transition to a “fatherless”
home was still very tender. My mother was desperately trying to find a
way to make ends meet, and kept telling us, “Don’t expect much for Christmas
this year.” As the day approached, we put up the decorations, but sad
feelings erupted as we secretly shed tears while trying to remain strong for
each other.

Each of us knew and loved
the real meaning of Christmas – the coming to earth of the Savior – and tried
to keep that uppermost in our thoughts. When Christmas Day came, we felt
a wonderful peace in our home. We exchanged gifts happily, and the most
wonderful sense of God’s comforting, gentle love began to heal our broken
hearts. This tangible feeling reminded us that we could never be
separated from Him. He loved us, He loved our dad, and was still caring
for all of us.

There were still days ahead
of journeying through our grief. But although we had each hoped to avoid
this holiday, it turned out to be one never to be forgotten, inspiring us to go
forward. And we did go forward. In the coming weeks and months we
had many adventures together as we felt each other’s caring. We
recognized that our family love was evidence of God’s love shining through each
of us. The Love we felt on that Christmas Day, we continued to experience
as His comforting and supportive guidance during the ensuing years.

My prayer for everyone the
world over, is that this Christmas will be a “holy night” of feeling God’s love
and hearing that message uttered so long ago, “peace on earth, good will toward
men”. This is the true lesson of Christmas -- that the gentle, healing
love of our divine Father encircles us all.

Picture ©Glowimages

Thomas (Tim) Mitchinson is a
self-syndicated columnist writing on the relationship between thought,
spirituality and health, and trends in that field. He is also the media
spokesman for Christian Science in Illinois. You can contact him at illinois@compub.org.