Mothers of God – Br. David Vryhof
Meister Eckhart was a 13th century German Dominican who distinguished himself as a theologian and mystic. He taught that the real meaning of Christmas is not only that God’s Son was born in a stable, but that Christ is born in us. His most famous sermon, usually presented first in collections of his writings, was preached on Christmas morning. It begins with this summary:
Here in time we celebrate the eternal birth that God the Father bore and still bears constantly in eternity, and which is also now born in time, in human nature. St. Augustine says that this birth is happening continually. We should ask ourselves: If it doesn’t happen in me, what good is that birth after all? What ultimately matters is that God’s birth should happen in me.
What good is it, Meister Eckhart asks, that Christ was born in a stable in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago if he is not also born in me?
“How can this be?” we say with Mary. How is Christ to be born in me?
The answer is the same, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you. It is God himself who will accomplish this in you.” You have only to be, like Mary, quiet, open-hearted and receptive to the Spirit at work within you. Say with her, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”
How can we cultivate a spirit of quiet receptivity like Mary’s? Let me suggest three ways:
• By opening our hearts to wonder. It is remarkable that the world is, that we are here, that we can experience it. Open your eyes to see it, your ears to hear it, your hands to touch it – and be amazed! Everyday!
• By cultivating a spirit of gratitude. Give thanks for the world, for the beauty of the earth, for the wonder of human existence, for the gift of life. Give thanks for each person you know, those you love and those you find difficult to love. Open your eyes to the beauty and wonder of every person – and be thankful.
• By opening our hearts to compassion. An open heart feels the suffering and pain of the world and responds to it. Compassion and a passion for justice go together. “The purpose of the Christian life,” writes Marcus Borg, “is to become more and more compassionate beings.”
“We are all meant to be mothers of God…,” wrote Meister Eckhart, “for God is always needing to be born.” Open your hearts and let him be born in you.
Spot on, for unlike other religions, our God is not distant and abstract but is close and lives in us.
Compassion, so much more difficult, yet so much more genuine than that word ‘love’ that is used for everything from coffee to reality tv! Thanx Br David.
Elizabeth+
The “threefold plan” that David proposes is what has been happening in me almost spontaneously during the last few years. David was a very helpful spiritual guide for me in a conversation some 20 years ago at VTS. I was struggling with my newly acknowledged orientation, whether or not it would be right for me to have a relationship with another man. He gently but insistently asked the questions I did not dare ask myself. Thank you, David.
Br David, somehow I already knew what you have said, but the way you have said it helps me understand the connection between Christ’s birth in a stable and the gift of the Holy Spirit in me in a new and profound way. Thank you, DavC
Thank you….
Brother David,
Yes, yes, yes!!! This is the truth.
Claudia
I love the hymn that begin: “Open my eyes that I may see, visions of truth that God has for me.”
There is power ( for me to recall to mind) in the brevity of your words, Brother David. Thank you.