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I had the great blessing of traveling to the Holy Land in October with a group of Franciscan University students. One day of our trip was "Christmas" day when we took a bus to Bethlehem to see the holy site of Jesus' birth. We walked through the city (singing Christmas songs!) to a place on the outskirts called the Campo de Pastor - the Shepherd's Field.
We walked through the gates and our guide and priest led us to a series of outdoor altars and caves, traditionally where shepherds in Bethlehem used to live. We walked down some stone stairs to a large, dusty cave. It was bright inside because of openings to the daylight, and it was large enough to fit our group of 28 and then some. A stone altar faced us.
Father proceeded to celebrate a simple Mass for Christmas Day. We sat on camping mats to try to protect ourselves from the dust, but we all ended up covered in white powder anyway. I marveled that our Lord Jesus was born in such a place as this - probably a cave where animals were kept and fed. He entered into our dust, our mess, and he let our human skin cling to his divinity just as the dust clung to our clothes in that cave.
We had a time of adoration there in that cave-chapel after Mass. Again, I was struck by Jesus' humility in coming to that place to be with us. I was drawn to pray with Psalm 84, "How lovely is your dwelling place," and it seemed that the Lord meant those words for me. I am his dwelling place, as much as or even more so than the cave where he was born. My soul is lovely to him! What an amazing mystery!
This Advent, as you prepare a place for him, know that He already finds you lovely, even if it feels like a mess sometimes, and he chooses to come to you.
- Sr. Mary Gemma Harris, T.O.R.
