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Peace on Earth

Work of Christmas Begins

When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with the flocks,
then the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal those broken in spirit,
to feed the hungry,
to release the oppressed,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among all peoples,
to make a little music with the heart…

And to radiate the Light of Christ,
every day, in every way, in all that we do and in all that we say.
Then the work of Christmas begins.

-- Howard Thurman, adapted

Meister Eckhart once asked, "What good is it that Christ was born 2,000 years ago if he is not born now in your heart?" Often I concentrate on the gifts, the sweets, the decorations, the time off work... Although I think the meaning of Christmas is in my mind, it often is not forefront. Then I think of Meister Eckhart's quote. What good is even the meaning of Christmas if I don't choose to live my life differently? Peace on Earth is easy to say, but I need to figure out how to bring it to my life and those around me first.

Merry Christmas all! Enjoy the peace of the holidays (or maybe find some peace in the holidays) and keep it throughout the year.

Comments

LH said…
Great post. I'll try it!
7:51 PM
dw said…
What a great poem. I don't read poems much, and rely on more literary people to introduce me to them.
9:25 PM
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