Mystery of the Incarnation

Each year as Advent approaches, I often read and meditate on the Incarnation. The mystery of it fills me with awe and wonder, a mystic experience of the Holy Spirit making Christ's presence intimately real, a reality I try to keep in the forefront of my thoughts throughout the year.

For the Incarnation is at the core of what it is to be a follower of Christ and a child of God. We are called by the Spirit to become "like Christ," as the Apostle Paul says, to participate in Christ's incarnation and make Him real to all with whom we interact, each day, every day, throughout our lives.

My thoughts on this great mystery lead me to find expression for it in poetry, since prose cannot capture it and poetry, like music, can help us transcend the limits of our human conceptions. Below is my 2010 Christmas poem on the Incarnation:

Your kingdom come, your will be done, in this world as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:10)

Holy Father, your kingdom comes
With each breath of my body, drawn and exhaled,
Your created glory constantly recreated day in and day out,
In a rhythm of life that, like a river,
Flows from your being in eternity into linear time
And is manifested in this dwelling place
Of fragile beauty and our finite existence -
Spirit in perfect harmony with the earth.

Blessed Redeemer, your kingdom comes
With every breath from your body,
From your first cry at birth to the last in physical death,
In a rhythm of life that, like a song,
Reverberates from eternity in your compassionate words
And is manifested through your incarnate sacrifice for all,
Your recreation of life in your resurrected existence -
Flesh perfected in love by the spirit.

Divine Spirit, your kingdom comes
With every breath you breathe into us,
Each impulse of our hearts and minds, souls and hands,
In a rhythm of life that, like a dance,
Steps forth from your eternal glory, joining heaven and earth,
Manifesting your love and being dwelling with us,
And creating a harmonious, glorious existence -
Your kingdom perfectly come into the world.

May your kingdom truly come, Lord God, as you will. Amen.