Christmas Eve

Tonight is Christmas Eve. Advent is over and Christmas is upon us. Today I will tie together some loose ends (finish one gifts, final wrapping), and settle into the grace and mystery of Christmas.

What is the grace of Christmas? It's an experiential thing. We don't need faith that the sun will rise because we have experienced it. Even in the darkest of times, this season of Light and Love will deliver its grace.

As Santa for a 2-year-old, I am invested in the experiential part: We light the advent candles; we cut out cookies; we play with the manger scene - "This is Joseph, the daddy. This is Mary, the mommy - she's going to have a baby. This is the donkey..." He doesn't need to understand anything, but just be in the grace.

Agenda Today:
1. Read a novena

2. Read "Meaningful Life"

3. Plan a spiritual practice

4. Prayer candle ceremony

5. Make Danish Prune Bread

6. Hang our stockings with care

1. Read a novena:

I've been reading this Creation Novena from the Indian Catholic Matters site, and today is the last:

Day 9: A Prayer of Thanks for the Creator

Creator God, we give thanks for You—for your coming among us, and among all that you have created.

Thank You for the magnanimous gift of creation itself, which heralded the birth of Your Son, and to which You joined in the water, minerals, and living flesh of Jesus Christ. Thank You for every aspect of creation, as every bit of its goodness and order reveals You.

Thank You for the love that You manifest in creation. Pope Francis has said that “creation is of the order of love.” We thank You for the gift of Your love beyond measure, and we thank You for bestowing on us the gift to love in return.

Thank You for the sustenance, strength, and peace that Your creation gives us. Thank You for our place within the fabric You have woven. Thank You for the unique gifts bestowed on each of us, and especially for the gifts of resilience and beauty in our poorest sisters and brothers.

We ask that You increase our capacity to love, that You give us the resolve to love in deeds and not simply in words.

We pray this through the newborn Christ, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

2. Read "Meaningful Life":

To continue my recent practice of re-reading some favorite books, I picked up a book I first read 20 years ago: "It's a Meaningful Life; It Just Takes Practice," by Bo Lozoff (2000). When I first read this book I was in my mid-40's, and I now realize how foundational it was for me.

 
In the introduction, Bo talks about the fast-paced, selfish, materialistic world we live in, and how soul-destructive it can be. "When we dare to slow down and ask ourselves some questions, how well do our answers satisfy us? Are we deeply fulfilled? Do we feel our lives have a clear sense of purpose? Do we see our place in the great scheme of things? Do we have confidence in the future of our society?"

He concludes that our primary purpose is to touch the sacred; and we do that with personal spiritual practices, which will bring "profound meaning and joy into our lives". He is talking about the open-hearted spiritual power of compassion, a transcendent clarity of sight, and also about the big truths of human accountability.

"So each of us has an essential choice to make: Do we trust a growing modern notion that life is chaotic, random, and morally neutral, with no greater significance than whatever we subscribe to it? ... Or do we choose to trust the compass of the sages and saints - that life has profound meaning, and each of us can touch the Divine".

Bo goes on to explain the two parts of his book. The first section focuses on internal spirituality, the inner journey of solitude and communion. And the second section deals with community and the outer path of love. These two paths are intertwined, and may be seen as the "common twofold prescription" of the world's religions to fulfill our meaning in life.

"There is much work to do, both inner and outer, and we can plunge into it with great determination and spirit."

3. Plan a spiritual practice:

At the end of each year I take a deep look at my self-renewal practices - how I nurture the physical, mental, and spiritual parts of myself - and set some goals for the new year. I've kicked off my Soyal celebration by looking at one part of me each day, and today I will make a plan for my spiritual nurturance in the year of 2023.

Spiritual nurturance has (at least) four parts: Awareness practices, such as meditation or journaling; soul searching, which is the ongoing quest to understand your purpose and intentions; virtue habits - the values and principles that guide your moral life; and opening to God or a higher power. Spiritual growth is the basis for a better and more harmonious life, a life of calmness, clarity, courage, and inner strength.

Today I ask myself: 

What kinds of awareness practices have worked for me in the past? What new kinds of practices sound fun and fascinating?

What virtuous habits and behaviors would I like to try to build, that will help me to act with greater love and responsibility, and will also renew my soul?

What practices would help me to get a better picture of my purpose in life, who I want to be, and what I want to contribute?

What practices would help me to open to a Higher Power, or the possibility of a Higher Power?

 

My ideas for spiritual practices so far in 2023 are:

• Daily and weekly journal queries, awareness practices, and devotions that are both earth-focused and Quakerly, and bring mindfulness to my days.
• Review the values, principles, and testimonies that guide me, and set intentions for growth.
• Continue to build a sacral calendar and Wheel of the Year that is true to my valley and not appropriated, and includes traditional crafts and recipes.
• Design and practice Medicine Art to heal my connection to the earth.

4. Prayer Candle ceremony:

I'm enjoying a daily prayer candle ceremony throughout my extended Christmas retreat, using small candles and candle ends, and will choose a new candle to add each day.

Today I light a purple candle for renewal, and ask the Spirits to bring the rain of loving care down upon the whole world.

5. Make Danish Prune Bread:

Christmas sweet bread is a tradition in most every country. Since I grew up in a Scandinavian-American town, I’m partial to this bread from Denmark. You can easily make the dough and filling in advance and shape it to bake fresh on Christmas morning.

Ingredients:

• 3/4-c. chilled unsalted butter 
• 1-3/4 c. flour 
• 1 tsp. active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 1/4 c. warm water (105-115ºF) 
• 1/4 c. heavy cream 
• 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom 
• 1/4 tsp. salt 
• 1 egg 
• 1/8 c. sugar 
• 1/2-c. pitted prunes, packed 
• 1/2-c. sugar 
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice 
• 1/4-tsp. vanilla 
• 1/4-tsp. cinnamon

Yield: 1 loaf-

1- Cut cold butter into chunks; combine with flour, and cut with a pastry blender until the butter is the size of kidney beans.

2- In another large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in the cream, cardamom, salt, eggs, and 1/8 c. sugar. Mix very lightly with a fork.

3- Turn flour and butter mixture into the yeast mixture and mix lightly with a fork or spatula just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour (or up to 4 days).

4- Filling: Put prunes, 1/2 c. sugar, and 1/8 c. of water into a saucepan. Heat and simmer until prunes are soft and plumped, and have absorbed most of the liquid. 

5- Puree in a blender, transfer to a bowl and stir in lemon juice, vanilla and cinnamon. Cool and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.

6- You can finish this tonight, or on Christmas morning: Prepare a baking sheet with lightly buttered and floured parchment paper. Take dough out of the refrigerator. On a floured surface, roll dough into a 12 x 6-inch rectangle. Place on the baking sheet.

6- Spread the prune filling down the length of the center of the dough. Cut strips along both sides with kitchen scissors. Fold strips over the filling in a crisscross manner.

7- Let rise 1 hour or more, just until the pastry appears puffy (it will not double.)

8- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Bake about 20 to 25 minutes, until golden.

5. Hang our stockings with care