For God So Loved the World

I was praying the rosary the other day and I noticed that the fruits of the Nativity mystery for this particular meditation were to love and to be loved. That struck me this Christmas season.

I’ve been pondering those fruits and how they tie to the Nativity. Truly, there was so much quiet, intimate love in that empty stable on Christmas. Baby Jesus being born, held, and cared for by his mother and father. The Love of God poured out into the world. The wonder and joy of the shepherds and wise men making their long visits to the Christ child.

Have you ever had a moment of love like that? A time in your life where love just poured into the depths of your being, and wonder and joy filled your soul? A time of profound stillness, intimacy, and overflowing abundance of the Holy Spirit? I imagine that first Christmas felt a lot like that when Jesus was born. This beautiful giving and receiving of God's love.

This Christmas will look a lot different for most of us. Quiet. Intimate. Stiller. Perhaps a little more darkness.

But hopefully full of Love...for God so loved the world.