Dear Friends,

 We pray you are safe and well.

Today in our area, it is a snowy contemplative day: we have about a foot of snow on the ground with perhaps another six inches on the way. It is a good day to reflect on this Advent Poem by John of the Cross: each of us is called to be pregnant with Love, with Light, with Mercy that we give birth to in our neighborhood: "each of us is the midwife of God."

(This Advent Poem came to us courtesy of Nancy Meyer, RCWP Bishop in the Midwest.) Yesterday I went to the Post Office to mail a package. I used one of their construct-it-yourself boxes. When I was ready I approached the counter and rang the bell for the clerk. He announced in a cheerful voice that he was coming. When he arrived, he asked how he could help. I presented my package and said that I needed some tape around it to secure it. He pleasantly said, "That's what I'm here for," and attentively covered all the unstable edges with tape that secured it. His cheerful spirit was contagious to all of us in line. He gave birth to God's Love in his little corner of the world. On the way home, I was driving behind a large SUV that had a huge menorah taped to its roof, with the appropriate number of Hanukkah Candles lit. Again this person was giving birth to God's joy and passing it on: "each of us is the midwife of God."

We invite you to join us as we commit ourselves to working tirelessly to end systemic and structural racism in our society, in healthcare, in the workplace, in the Church--wherever it shows up so that everyone may come to have more abundant life. May this meditation nourish our contemplative-active hearts and sustain all of us in action.

In the spirit of our philosophy of co-creating community and our awareness that the Spirit speaks through each of us, we invite you to share your meditations with us as well. We truly believe that in God’s economy of abundance, when we share our blessings, our thoughts, our feelings, we are all made richer.

We hope and pray that you and your loved ones experience genuine peace of mind and heart, and remain in good health during this challenging time.

May this Advent Season be a time of peace, of healing and hope, of the infusion of joy in your life!

With our love and care,

Ron & Jean

MEDITATION 228: “Advent Poem” By St. John of the Cross

If you want, the Virgin will come walking down the road

pregnant with the Holy and say,

“I need shelter for the night.

Please take me inside your heart, my time is so close.”

Then, under the roof of your soul,

you will witness the sublime intimacy,

the divine, the Christ, taking birth forever,

as she grasps your hand for help,

for each of us is the midwife of God, each of us.

Yes, there, under the dome of your being,

does creation come into existence eternally,

through your womb, dear pilgrim,

the sacred womb of your soul,

as God grasps our arms for help:

for each of us is His beloved servant never far.

If you want, the virgin will come walking down the street,

pregnant with Light, and sing!