A View from the Moon
I remember reading about the space shuttle Columbia where astronaut James Irwin walked on the moon in 1971. He said, "I can't describe the thrill of looking out into space and seeing it as only a handful of men have ever seen it. The stars and sun offered the most breathtaking colors humankind has ever witnessed…I could hardly contain myself.
"I came to a stop. Moon dust settled down on my boots and chills ran up and down my spine. I thought, WOW!! This is the greatest miracle in the history of the human race. Man is walking on the moon!! Then God spoke to my heart, 'No, Jim. It isn't really. The greatest miracle in the history of mankind is not that man walked on the moon, it's that God walked on the earth and lives in your heart…in the Bethlehem of your soul and mine!'"
God's Grand Expedition
James Irwin reminds us that there cannot be anything that compares to the greatest miracle of Christ entering our space, our world, our heart! No moon walking, no comet landing, no mountain climbing, nothing can be compared to this event!
God's grand space expedition was launched over 2000 years ago when the Holy Spirit invited a young girl named Mary, the Theotokos to be the vessel and carry Jesus into this world. This expedition did not take billions of dollars, did not need a space shuttle, there was no need for a GPS system or electronic devices to calculate distance or time of travel. You see, this space expedition landed the Creator of the world into the world.
St. Philaret says: "In the days of creation of the world, when God was uttering his living and mighty 'Let there be,' the word of the Creator brought creatures into the world. But on that day, unprecedented in the history of the world, when Mary uttered her brief and obedient, 'So be it,' I hardly dare say what happened then—the word of the creature brought the Creator into the world."
The Christmas Mystery
This Christmas, we experience the most significant mystical space adventure that not only rocked the world but changed the course of humanity! Christ in the most humble and silent way stepped into our space with the hopes of entering the holy sanctuary of our heart so we can be united with Him. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life" (John 3:16)
Yes, the creator of the universe, the one who knows no time, the one who suspends the stars, moon and earth, the one who created light out of darkness, the one who breathed life into the human person came to invite Himself into the space of our heart.
Preparing the Heart's Manger
So, the miracle is not about walking on the moon, it's not about climbing famous mountains or buying the right gift to show love for our beloved family and friends. The true gift of Christmas comes when we prepare the manger in our heart to receive Christ.
When we receive Him, there will be a change and there will be a thirst and hunger for God, for truth, for forgiveness, and for life! When Jesus is allowed to land in our soul, our priorities will be illuminated to focus on making our aim to love and to earnestly desire spiritual gifts.
Our church is calling us to the greatest space exploration one could imagine. Yes, a round-trip ticket to the moon and back will be about $700 million dollars but the journey I'm talking about is available at no cost, this journey that will change your life is the '30cm descent.'
Yes, this Christmas we are prayerfully called to travel to eternity, which is 30cm, about 11.81 inches from our head to our heart. God created everything beautiful in its time and has planted eternity in the human person's heart. It is in the heart that we will find true life. It is the heart that resonates with the kingdom of heaven, and it is the heart that must be tuned in to prayer, to the right frequency of peace and silence.
The Sacred Space Within
So, this Christmas let us all acknowledge that we have this divine power within us, in our heart! And the only response when we realize this truth is to experience it fully and to travel wherever it takes to live in this Holy Space. It is not about traveling outwards, not about traveling to Mt. Athos, or the Holy land. It is not about getting on an airplane, space shuttle, or mountain expedition.
Simply put, it is about traveling the 30cm descent from the head to the heart! We ascend to God by descending into our heart to meet Jesus in that sacred space of eternity! As St. Porphyrios states, it is in our heart that we come to know Him, that He is joy, He is life, He is light. Christ is Everything. He is our ultimate desire, He is everything. Everything beautiful is in Christ.
Make a blessed Christmas!
+fr. Tom
Related Posts
