Scripture Reading for today: Luke 2:4-7 TEV
“She gave birth to her first son, wrapped him in cloths
and laid him in a manger – there was no room to stay in the inn.” Luke2:7
It’s a scene from every movie depicting Jesus’ birth. It is illustrated in every creche. We have Mary and Joseph in a stable with the baby Jesus in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.
As I was reading this passage again this year, I was struck by the thought that this could well be a metaphor for spirituality in our secular age. In the book, “Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals” , the author makes the point that there is an endless demand for our attention today. From endless emails, to text messages, to the seduction of the internet, we are constantly bombarded with a call to give our attention to something. As I was rereading the Luke narrative, and thinking about the insight of this writer concerning how we have all these demands for our attention, I thought about whether or not we have any room in our lives for spiritual practice and development.
How easy is it for days to go by without meditation or prayer, or at best, a brief one expressed without any time for listening for “that still small voice” to offer guidance in our lives. Is there room in our inner lives for the Christ to live in Spirit? As we begin Advent we would do well to think about our lives, and whether we are allowing sufficient time in them for our spiritual growth and development as followers of that man who started out in a manger because there was no room elsewhere.
Reflections 