Guest Post from Dr. Dennis Ortman: Christmas Story
Shared by Dr. Dennis Ortman, author of a number of award-winning books -
CHRISTMAS
STORY
“And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling
among us,
and we saw his glory.”
--John 1: 14
Even as a child, I knew
that Christmas was about more than Santa Claus coming and getting gifts. The
baby Jesus was born. In addition to the Christmas tree and outdoor lights, we
set up a Nativity scene in our home. Our parents told us the story and
introduced the characters. At school, we re-enacted the Christmas story. We all
vied to play Mary or Joseph, but I ended up being a sheep. The nuns explained
that the story was about the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, who came to save
us from our sins. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I knew it was a
very happy occasion. We sang joyous Christmas carols at church and in the
neighborhood. At home the family gathered to share a meal and exchange gifts.
As I advanced in age and
wisdom, my appreciation of the mystery of the Christmas story enlarged. It was,
indeed, about gift-giving, but more about the wondrous gift we receive--the
gift of love. God so loves the world that He gives Himself in His Son Jesus. We
receive this grace as unworthy beggars, as sinners in need of salvation. This
is the perfect gift that redeems us from the misery of our sins. This love
further inspires us to share ourselves with others.
Through the years as I pray
about the Christmas story, I realize it is not about a past event. It is about
the present moment. God’s gift of himself keeps on giving, always and
everywhere. Christmas is every moment. The Light enters the world and our
hearts. Christ is born within us. We put on his mind and heart, so we can see
everything in a new light. In faith, I experience God’s presence
everywhere. In love, I embrace others as “another Christ,” without exceptions. In hope, I look forward to
the everlasting extension of the joy of living in God’s love.
The Christmas story also
impacts my work as a psychologist. I invite my patients to enter more deeply
into the mystery of who they are. At the deepest level, I believe, we all share
in divine life. The Word became flesh to reveal the divine in the human. Faith
and self-awareness work in tandem. Knowing God, we know our true selves.
Knowing ourselves, we come to believe in God. At Christmas, we believe, as the
Eastern Church fathers taught, that God became human so that we might become
divine. Unfortunately, we do not always realize our dignity and act against our
true nature. We let our false self rule.
Through the process of
therapy, my patients seek to heal and grow. They want to know who they really
are beyond all their egotistical strivings. Here the goals of authentic
religion and therapy overlap. Both are about personal transformation. We seek
to become our best selves who love ourselves and others freely and
whole-heartedly.
The main characters of the
Christmas story are models in the process of our personal transformation. Of
course, as people of faith, the source and goal of our journey is Jesus Christ.
We seek to let him be born in our hearts to transform our lives. We desire a “Christ consciousness,” to see and live life as he did.
There is a three step
process toward both deepening faith and leading a wholesome life: wake up,
clean up, and show up. Coincidentally, these steps correspond with the
traditional religious practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, which are
common to all the major religions.
WAKE UP WITH MARY
Mary models open-hearted
faith. She was not asleep, but alert and watchful. Presumably, she was praying
when the angel Gabriel suddenly appeared and said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you….Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive and bear a son,
and you will name him Jesus.” (Luke 2: 28, 30) Mary was obviously confused by
this unexpected visit and news. The angel was announcing the impossible. Yet
Mary sensed the sublime truth of the moment. She surrendered and said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it
be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 2: 38) Her trusting faith enabled the Son
of God to take flesh through her in our world.
During Advent, we spend
time in prayer and reflection, like Mary. We pray to be awake and watchful for
Christ’s coming at any moment in our lives. He may
come in unexpected ways, in distressing times and in annoying people. We hope
to be able to see as Mary sees and be full of grace. We aspire to be a gracious
host to welcome God who wants to make a home in us. Christ constantly seeks to
be born in us, if we just open our minds and hearts.
In therapy, the only advice
I give my patients is, “Pay full attention
to yourself and to whatever arises within you.” That is what prayer really is: paying full
attention in the moment. Many of us avoid spending time quiet and alone with
ourselves. We keep busy and distracted. Perhaps we fear what will emerge from
the depths, expecting something terrible. Or we are too lazy to make the
effort. I assure my patients that if they take the risk to look within, they
will discover the wonder of their being. They will begin to sense their innate
goodness, wisdom, and strength. It is such a miracle that we are alive.
Furthermore, if we look deeply enough, we realize we are made in God’s image. He dwells within us.
CLEAN UP WITH JOHN THE BAPTIST
John the Baptist
exemplifies personal reform. John had a mission to prepare the way of the Lord.
His message anticipated that of Jesus who proclaimed, “Reform your lives and believe the good news.” Mark’s Gospel begins with John’s story: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the
Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘Behold, I am
sending a messenger ahead of you; he will prepare you way. A voice on one
crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of
the Lord, make straight his paths.” John the Baptist appeared in the desert
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mark 1: 1-4) John said
we had to clean house to make room for our guest, God’s Son. He also
demonstrated by his simple life what we needed to do: give up our sinful
attachments.
During Advent, we undertake
the process of putting our house in order. We take time examining our
consciences and perhaps celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We make a
fearless and searching moral inventory of what keeps us from welcoming the gift
of God’s love in our hearts. We may discover that we
treasure things that will never bring lasting satisfaction, such as
possessions, power, praise, prestige, and so forth. The coming of the Lord into
our heart calls for an open, uncluttered space and promises joy beyond our
imagining. The clean up requires a fasting, a dying to ourselves, a letting go
of attachments.
In therapy, I remind my
patients that happiness is our natural state. Most come to me in distress and
question my optimism. Nevertheless, we together explore what keeps them from
being happy. We uncover their negative and distorted views of themselves and
life. We acknowledge the conditioning from childhood and society that prevents
them from being their natural selves. Much of our work is unlearning the past
and letting go of preconceptions. I encourage my patients, “Just be yourself. That is the only way to
freedom and contentment.” When they appreciate their innate goodness and wisdom, they willingly
give up self-defeating behaviors. They tell themselves, “I’m better than that behavior.” If they come to
recognize the Divine within them, they are further motivated to act
accordingly.
SHOW UP WITH THE MAGI
The Magi (wise men) model
gracious living. They lived with a sense of wonder and awe, like Mary. Their
curiosity led them to look upwards and follow a star to the humble stable where
Jesus was born. They came to Jerusalem and asked King Herod, “Where is the newborn King of the Jews? We saw
his star at its rising and have come to do him homage….They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on
entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated
themselves and did him homage. They then opened their treasures and offered him
gift of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2: 2, 10-11)These enlightened men
recognized God’s presence there and offered their gifts. Their
joyful gratitude overflowed in generosity.
During the Christmas
season, we celebrate an Epiphany, God’s light shining in the darkness of our world.
We are enlightened and see more clearly. Like the Magi, we recognize God’s presence not only in ourselves, but in
everyone, no exceptions. Our practice of Christmas gift-giving originated with
the Magi. Our joy-filled gratitude for Christ’s coming into our
lives inspires us to share our gifts. After all, what do we have that we have
not received? All is grace. We see others as “another Christ.” So we share our time, talents, and treasures,
not only with our families, but especially with those most in need. This is
almsgiving.
In therapy, I encourage my
patients to develop a healthy self-love. Most come harshly critical of
themselves, thinking they are not good enough. I explain the importance of
loving themselves in the right way and how it affects all their relationships.
We see and treat others as we see and treat ourselves. We cannot be any more
intimate or loving with another than we are with ourselves. And in caring for
others, we care for ourselves. If we come to appreciate our inner abundance and
beauty, we will spontaneously share it with others. We will not demand them to
fill up our emptiness. If we appreciate God’s life within us,
we will naturally honor the Divine in others, treating them as “another Christ.” We will let our true nature shine through.
CELBRATE JOYFULLY WITH THE SHEPHERDS
The shepherds show us the
way to live joyfully. They were busy doing their jobs in the field, when
suddenly an angel visited them, like Mary. The angel announced, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you
good news of great joy that will be for all people. For today in the city of
David a savior has been born for you who is Christ the Lord.” Then a whole host of
angels appeared praising God saying, “Glory to God in
the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2: 10-11, 14) Caught
up in the joy, the poor shepherds gathered at the stable with the rich Magi to
honor Jesus.
During Christmas and at
every Eucharist, we celebrate the joy of God’s presence among
us. Christ comes into the world to feed us with his presence, word, and body
and blood. We experience a taste of the heavenly banquet. The Book of
Revelations describes this banquet as a gathering of the multitude to praise
God: “I had a vision of
a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people,
and tongue….They
prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, and exclaimed: ‘Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and
thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen.’” (Revelations 7: 9-14)
Joy is the infallible sign of God’s presence.
In therapy, I invite my
patients to celebrate their lives. Most come having little to celebrate. They
are trapped in painful moods, missing joy. Through waking, cleaning, and
showing up, they seek to live a more abundant life. I encourage them to embrace
all of their experiences, especially the painful ones. I tell them, “Just sit with the pain and see what you can
learn.” Angels
of strength, courage and wisdom often unexpectedly appear. Joy surprises them
in their work toward healing and growth.
The Christmas story is not
merely about a past event. It occurs every moment and guides us to wholesome
and joyful living. Light has shined in the darkness of our ignorance. The Word
became flesh to reveal the Divine in the human. God is born in us now, giving
us a taste of heaven, if we open our hearts and minds in faith. If we honor the
Divine in us, we will honor it in others, creating a community united in love.
Then, peace will reign in our hearts and the world.
For more posts about and by Dennis Ortman and his books, click HERE.
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