Everybody is called to embrace solitude at some point in his or her life. In our world today, it is often easy to equate sadness with solitude, but we are not called to be sad. If solitude is not sadness, but a state of being alone, what does it look like? The answer lies in being alone with God. Spending time alone with God is at the heart of the Christian life. The Christmas season affords us an opportunity to do this in a special and intimate way—praying with the Christ Child.
Being alone with the Christ Child affords us the opportunity to encounter him in a revelatory way. Christ reveals the truth of who he is to us in our time alone with him. The truth of Christ made known to us in prayer illumines our minds and opens our hearts to a deeper union with him. We encounter Christ in a real and intelligible way when we contemplate him. Contemplating the mystery of the Incarnation during the Christmas season gives us extraordinary graces to know the truth of Christ in a more intimate way.
Contemplating the Christ Child is not only consoling, but is also a quest for understanding the truth of salvation. The prayerful fruits of contemplating the mystery of the Incarnation unveil the twofold truth of who Christ is and his mission here on earth. His mission of saving humanity by taking on flesh is especially evident during the Christmas season.
If we want to understand how to be alone with our Incarnate God, the Holy Family provides the perfect example. At the time of Christ’s birth, the Holy Family—Mary and Joseph—were present with Jesus. The time that they had with Jesus right after his birth afforded them an opportunity to be alone with the Christ Child, to pray and behold their newborn son. Even amidst the difficulties surrounding Jesus’ birth, the Holy Family remained intact and faithful to the newborn king. Those initial moments of sadness and worry about where to stay the night were put to rest in beholding the baby that was before them. Beholding the Son on the night of his birth brought them immense joy.
We too can possess the same joy of Mary and Joseph in beholding the presence of the Christ Child. The time that we spend in prayer with our Lord will bear endless fruits and graces that unite us more closely to him.
The truth of the Incarnate Christ beckons us closer to him. Mary and Joseph experienced this revelatory truth because they spent time alone with the Christ Child. We too can experience this revelatory truth in our prayer life, if we spend time alone with Christ. As we prepare to begin a new year, a year filled with hope and expectation, let us remember that the Christ Child is here to guide, protect, and save the world. His desire to reveal himself and his mission on earth fulfills all our desires and purpose in life.
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Photo by Lawrence Lew, O.P. (used with permission)
