Bathing in Beauty

"We do not want merely to see beauty, though God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words--to be united with the beauty we see, to pass it on, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it." ~ C.S. Lewis

Beauty distracts me daily. I breathe it in. I fixate on it. I long to melt into it. The stunning sunrises, the long prairie sunsets, the glistening of the sun on the snow, the laughter of a child, the hawk as it soars overhead, the warmth of an email filled with love, the twinkling Christmas lights, the joyous memory of a friend who knows me deeply--these all mesmerize me. My heart expands in those moments. Something mystical and inexplicable occurs. Lewis is right: articulating that experience is sometimes near impossible.

I am starting my day in a darkened living room, with the gentle glow of the Christmas lights...white and purple, before a little creche scene of the Holy Family. In the quietness of this setting, the daily readings set my day in motion. My soul settles into a serene state and it is as if I have become part of beauty. I end each day standing before the same scene, hands outstretched in front of the Christ Child, reviewing my day, asking Christ to show me where he was--where I saw Him and where I missed Him. I ask myself what I need to lay down before I can take up this Child and hold Him this night, to receive Him with open arms. This Son is so bright and spectacular that I can hardly take my eyes off Him in these final moments of my day. His beauty bathes me in a Light that I never want to stop shining on me. I ask gently that He go and prepare the day ahead of me, before I carefully lay Him back in Mary's arms.

To be united with Christ as a vulnerable baby, as the human person during these Advent weeks is a blessing. To stand before the Divinity of this child is reassuring. My life is in His hands. To live fully I must embrace His humanity and his divinity and I must also accept my own humanity and divinity. This is beauty. This is sheer sacredness. This is Advent joy.

Peace,

Suzanne