Care of Creation 10: Birth of Christ

"There is no birth of Christ, however, without the Spirit.  It is the Creator Spirit who continues to breathe new life in evolutionary creation, who weaves together the cosmic body of Christ.  The Spirit is the “holon maker”, the One who breathes new life, generates new love, searches for new future by uniting what is separate or apart, by healing and making whole.  Where there is the Spirit, there is the divine Word expressed in the rich variety of creation, and where there is the Spirit and Word there is the fountain fullness of love.  Christ symbolizes this unity of love; hence, the fullness of Christ is the creative diversity of all that exists held together by the Spirit of luminous love God." -- Ilia Delio, The Emergent Christ pp 70-71

 

The place where I need healing or to be made whole by the Spirit in my life is in relationships that are broken or strained by misunderstanding, misuse, disrespect or disinterest.  Although I have an openness to all people, I also find that I am less willing to be open when past encounters leave me feeling wounded.  The Spirit heals this on a deep level so that in my heart of hearts there is forgiveness and I can move beyond the hurt to place of peace.  But the human encounter sometimes lags behind the Spirit in these matters and new hurting happens.  We are such fragile creatures, we human beings.  Hurting each other with or without intention on a daily basis.  In this we are united.  We are all wounded and all need the Spirit to become whole so that we can be bearers of the Word for others in need.  The Spirit works in the human encounter to make us whole.  This is the birth of Christ and the breaking of the bread in our daily lives.  A pause for thanksgiving.