{"id":341536,"date":"2016-12-26T19:48:29","date_gmt":"2016-12-27T01:48:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/?p=341536"},"modified":"2016-12-26T19:48:29","modified_gmt":"2016-12-27T01:48:29","slug":"tis-humility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/12\/tis-humility\/","title":{"rendered":"Tis Humility"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

photo by @rachelelisag on instagram<\/p><\/div>\n

A remark during the homily at midnight mass really struck me. The priest reflected how each Christmas is different, not because the Gospel story changes -indeed the story is everlasting – but because\u00a0we come<\/em>\u00a0to Christmas each year a little bit different.<\/p>\n

Each year we bring with us the lived experiences of the whole past year. Christmas 2016 was not the same as Christmas 2015…and without being doom and gloom about it, I began to reflect on what we are bringing with us before the manger this year, on how we are all different having lived 2016 as we come ’round to Christmas again. Perhaps a few moments of like reflection would help us to prepare for the New Year.<\/p>\n

The priest remarked that this Christmas 2016 is different in one way as a fruit of the Year of Mercy. This is the Christmas Season we are living in the light of the Year of Mercy…how beautiful and timely is the message God gave us through Pope Francis in 2016-mercy<\/strong><\/em><\/span>! The Lord knew how much we would need it…<\/p>\n

And hand in hand with mercy, I see humility<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>as a word that the world needed in 2016 in a renewed way. For if we aren’t humble, how can we receive the ocean of mercy God has for each of us? And what greater source of conversion is there that so effectively opens our own hearts in mercy towards others besides the profound experience of our own smallness, our own humble need for mercy?<\/p>\n

On this second day of Christmas, here is a small gift – a Christmas poem on humility and the transforming power of this verse, which contains the spirit of the Incarnation, of Christmas, and of our own salvation: “<\/span>Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” <\/span>(Matthew 23:11-13).<\/em><\/p>\n

To All Adults, at Christmas Time<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

My dear Adult, \u2018tis Christmas time,<\/p>\n

you know this well I\u2019m sure \u2013 but then,<\/p>\n

\u2018tis what you know compels my rhyme,<\/p>\n

Will you chance to be curious again?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kind Adult, please lend your ear,<\/p>\n

your thoughts, your heart to me.<\/p>\n

For just a moment, with me turn<\/p>\n

now to the nativity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let us look with eyes anew<\/p>\n

at what we know so well<\/p>\n

and tell me Who\u2019s at the center, tell \u2013<\/p>\n

do you see what you knew you knew<\/p>\n

or what is before you now?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There to the center our gaze is drawn<\/p>\n

We look with shepherds, sheep and angels upon<\/p>\n

the face of One<\/p>\n

the face of a Child, the Christ, the Son.<\/p>\n

Between Mother, a virgin, and father, chaste spouse,<\/p>\n

a Son as yet is He.<\/p>\n

For God has come,<\/p>\n

His choice to be born<\/p>\n

not in might<\/p>\n

but in Humility.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let us ponder why<\/em> my kind Adult, and<\/p>\n

Let us forget the answer we knew.<\/p>\n

Let us now together open our lives<\/p>\n

to the message of the Child, anew:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMy dear Adult, you have done well,<\/p>\n

you\u2019ve grown up strong and tall.<\/p>\n

But if you desire to truly live<\/p>\n

You have yet an untaken risk:<\/p>\n

Kind Adult, you have yet to fall.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To fall, not from grace<\/p>\n

but into it,<\/p>\n

by going down, not going up \u2013<\/p>\n

by becoming again a Child as I \u2013<\/p>\n

by growing down, not growing up.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For though you think to reach Me<\/p>\n

by climbing, climbing, climbing up unto,<\/p>\n

It is I, the Child who shows the way<\/p>\n

by inclining, inclining inclining down to you.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I descend to meet you where you are<\/p>\n

and yet you yourself are not there \u2013<\/p>\n

I am greeted only by your pretense,<\/p>\n

your rationalizations, your fear.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You look for Truth in might and sword<\/p>\n

But I come in the poverty of youth.<\/p>\n

You think to be humble is to degrade yourself,<\/p>\n

to be weak, of little use,<\/p>\n

but I tell you: \u2018tis your only power-<\/p>\n

Humility alone conceives the Truth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For \u2018tis Humility that unbinds the mind<\/p>\n

from indulgent intellectualizations,<\/p>\n

\u2018Tis Humility that frees the heart<\/p>\n

from fears of its\u2019 real limitations \u2013<\/p>\n

and \u2018tis Humility alone that opens<\/p>\n

the soul to embrace love\u2019s salvation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thus in childlike Humility<\/p>\n

Man is made free<\/p>\n

interiorly<\/p>\n

And totally.<\/p>\n

No pretense needed<\/p>\n

No defense to keep up<\/p>\n

No need to avoid, repress<\/p>\n

or pass the buck.<\/p>\n

The Child stands before the Father<\/p>\n

As the Child is, no more, no less.<\/p>\n

The Child knows in His Love<\/p>\n

is all security, pardon<\/p>\n

self-knowing and deep rest.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2018Tis only thus, my dear Adult<\/p>\n

that you will have strength sufficient<\/p>\n

For with the Father, you can do all<\/p>\n

without, you must remain deficient.<\/p>\n

For the Child is only truly free<\/p>\n

within the Father\u2019s love<\/p>\n

which holds the Child<\/p>\n

so tenderly<\/p>\n

and binds the heart to Him above.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you think<\/p>\n

to stay your way<\/p>\n

and live grown-up, on your own,<\/p>\n

My love urges me yet to say<\/p>\n

there is something you must know.<\/p>\n

If you look deeply<\/p>\n

at the wood that forms my infant Cradle,<\/p>\n

you will see with eyes anew<\/p>\n

the Cross beneath the stable.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My Cradle and my Cross are one:<\/p>\n

As the first leads to the other<\/p>\n

yet through the second you must go<\/p>\n

to be born unto the other.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But do not fear, dearest Adult of mine,<\/p>\n

for where I call you I have gone.<\/p>\n

Your suffering will not be in vain;<\/p>\n

my love will uphold you all along.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is the greatest myst\u2019ry<\/p>\n

of life and death, together,<\/p>\n

of sacrifice and fruitfulness,<\/p>\n

the way of grace, forever.<\/p>\n

The Father wills it, the Child ascents,<\/p>\n

and the Spirit thus reveals:<\/p>\n

Heaven\u2019s sweetest slow descent-<\/p>\n

as Christmas bells begin to peal,<\/p>\n

sounding for each heart reborn<\/p>\n

for sin defeated, and vict\u2019ry sealed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now, dear one, you\u2019ve heard<\/p>\n

what you once thought to know<\/p>\n

and now you know anew:<\/p>\n

Tis with the coming of the Child,<\/p>\n

and your becoming one within<\/p>\n

That the winter of our sin does melt,<\/p>\n

and the world is warmed<\/p>\n

freed to spring forth in joy with flow\u2019ring life \u2013<\/p>\n

The miracle of Christmas morn.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Child has spoken,<\/p>\n

before Him we stand.<\/p>\n

Now we must ask,<\/p>\n

shall we but bend?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tis a risk, you say.<\/p>\n

Yes \u2013 the greatest risk of all<\/p>\n

to leave being-on-your-own behind<\/p>\n

to bow, incline, to bend to Him, to fall;<\/p>\n

To take the leap of death<\/p>\n

that ends in being born<\/p>\n

as He, a Child<\/p>\n

did come to us<\/p>\n

that very Christmas morn.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The price so high,<\/p>\n

so great the task<\/p>\n

and yet something draws me in,<\/p>\n

And though fear would have me wait to ask<\/p>\n

Love urges me to say, my friend \u2013<\/p>\n

Will you but bend?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You see, my Kind Adult,<\/p>\n

I have grown up like you<\/p>\n

\u2018tis time that I grew down again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let us go together then<\/p>\n

and before the Child bend,<\/p>\n

to our knees, descend<\/p>\n

to willingly become as He, like Him.<\/p>\n

I will ascent to descend<\/p>\n

that He might raise me<\/p>\n

for my heart so yearns to fly\u2026<\/p>\n

Will you come along too, my dear friend,<\/p>\n

will you but chance to discover why?<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Merry Christmas, friends!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A remark during the homily at midnight mass really struck me. The priest reflected how each Christmas is different, not because the Gospel story changes -indeed the story is everlasting – but because\u00a0we come\u00a0to Christmas each year a little bit different. Each year we bring with us the lived experiences of the whole past year…. [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[90,89,2976,91],"tags":[383,3253,50,2890,2119,1184,325,419,3035,1721,859,2781,2891],"class_list":["post-341536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-faith-blog","category-family","category-prayer","category-young-adult","tag-christmas","tag-end-of-year-of-mercy","tag-faith","tag-family","tag-family-christmas-devotion","tag-humility","tag-mercy","tag-nativity","tag-octave-of-christmas","tag-spiritual-journey","tag-spirituality","tag-year-of-mercy","tag-young-adult","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t