On December 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, I was meditating on Psalm 23. In many versions of the Bible this is the Psalm of the Good Shepherd. But I was using the Douy Rheims Bible, and the Good Shepherd Psalm is Psalm 22.
As I was meditating from Psalm 23 (DR), the Lord showed me the beauty of our Lady in the Nativity, the graciousness of our Lord coming into the world, and the great blessing that was His Birth.
Psalm 23 from the Douy Rheims
The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof: the world, and all they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas; and hath prepared it upon the rivers. Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord: or who shall stand in his holy place? The innocent in hands, and clean of heart, who hath not taken his soul in vain, nor sworn deceitfully to his neighbour. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and mercy from God his Saviour. This is the generation of them that seek Him, of them that seek the face of the God of Jacob. -Psalm 23:1-6
My Meditation
Seek His face. The face of the babe in the manger. Come into His creation, blessing it with His little presence. With His infant cries, with each tiny breath, pouring His grace upon the world, each beat of His tiny heart causing the whole world to leap for joy.
The babe asleep in the arms of His Holy Mother, radiating love. Persistent love, because only persistent love would cause the God, Creator of all things, to take the form of a man to save those who do not love Him.
The earth is the Lord’s and He graciously was born into it. Born into the lowest place, in the lowest stable, dirty and unkept. This is where the King of Kings enter the world.
But our Lady made it beautiful through her purity. She untouched by the filth of sin, is I unaffected by the dirty stable. Knowing the will of the Lord was being played out through her. The clean hands and pure heart of Our Mother are the only ones fit to bring Him into the world. He only true created comforter. The Lord blessed Her greatly in her Son.
Through blessing her, God blesses me more abundantly than I could ever imagine. She is the Mother of Mercy, begging the Lord, for me to put His compassion upon me. Her gentle love, ever sweet, pleads for me at His feet. Unstained purity, the Immaculate Conception, helps me climb the mountain where He is seated.
Our Lady
Mary makes even the most destitute and dire circumstances beautiful. She is the bringer of light. The keeper of Hope. The great Fiat. She the most pure and beautiful person every created by our Lord.
She gently reminds me of the beauty in the mess of my life. My life the “dirty stable,” that is unkept, dirty, and unpredictable. The mess is the work of the Lord being played out in and through me. Therefore, I must be receptive to what the Lord has planned for me. It is my job to listen, follow, and give my own Fiat to all that He is asking of me, just like our Beautiful Lady did. Thankfully I am not alone in it. She is there, with my Lord, to help me navigate through the mess and seek her precious Son.
Thrive in Jesus, my Friends!
What beauty do you see in the Nativity? In Mary? What mess can she help you with today? Leave me a comment and let me know!
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