The Spiritual Bethlehem

What is born inside our hearts

Visiting the site of the nativity, Bethlehem, in 2017

As much hoopla is associated with Christmas, its deeper meaning doesn’t lie in the external world. The presence of Jesus - a universal factor in the lives of many, including not only those who consider themselves Christian - is a point of Light in the consciousness of humanity. It is indeed a star high up in a night sky, with the power to cast out all the darkness of the world.

Today billions of people all over the planet acknowledge the possibility of an infinite Love. And that one idea changes the world. Whether or not you embrace the reality of this Love as it is embodied in the life of Jesus, simply reflecting on the idea of an infinitely powerful Love transforms our world by transforming our perception of it. For within the space of that Love, when we allow ourselves to actually feel it, miracles occur naturally. The mind is open to possibilities to which we are otherwise blind. The universe corrects itself. What has died is given new life.

I spent last Christmas Eve at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, closed this year due to the tragedy of current events in Israel and Palestine. That of itself is a metaphor for the darkness of the world. But we needn’t be in an outer structure anywhere to experience the meaning of this day. Sitting in my apartment in Washington DC, I was thinking about Christmas trees. The most grounded piece of nature is embellished with lights and ornamentation; what a symbol for the intersection of nature and the divine. I was thinking about what it would mean for me, in my own life, to forgive everyone and everything and have faith beyond what reason can bestow. Questions raged within me like storms that only the hand of God could calm. As I sat there quietly, I felt the presence of an indwelling One. And as I looked at a tree outside my window, something began to happen.

Given that it’s December the trees outside my apartment have lost most of their leaves, the ones now left sort of golden brown. At that moment, as I was looking outside, suddenly sunlight hit the leaves in such a way that they began to sparkle brilliantly. The tree was transformed into a tree all lit up for Christmas, complete with a star shaped leaf on top. The sun turned the entire tree into a burst of light. I did not have to be in Bethlehem to see it. The spiritual Bethlehem is in the heart and it partners with the brain. The mystery clearly uses both.

Had I not considered just moments before that I have to forgive everyone and everything, I don’t think I would have seen the light-filled vision of the tree. Yes, the physical phenomenon would have occurred - but I wouldn’t have necessarily noticed it. It lasted perhaps a minute and I might have been walking into the kitchen right then. Had I not just reflected on the power of faith and what it means for me, the physical phenomenon would have occurred but I wouldn’t have received its message. The spiritual isn’t something different than the world; it is a difference in how we see the world. It opens our eyes to things we wouldn’t otherwise perceive.

May Christmas be real for you and yours today. May every dried up leaf turn into new life for you. May an opening within your mind and heart flood you with love and peace. May forgiveness wash you clean and set you free of inner turmoil. Today’s world is indeed a darkened sky, but the star of Bethlehem signals new hope. I know it’s there, because I felt it in my heart today and I saw it outside my window.

Coming down from the temporary high of spiritual illumination, I was cast into the lows of sadness as I thought about what is happening in Gaza today. Immediately I was reminded of a line from A Course in Miracles: “The holiest spot on earth is where an ancient hatred becomes a present love.” A heartbreaking scenario is upon us now and it has truly darkened the world.

But I am bolstered in my faith today. May the Light appear. May the Light appear.