Happy Christmas

CHRISTMAS AWAKENS WONDER

Christmas awakens wonder in the heart. All belief depends on wonder. Where there is no wonder, there can be no faith. Wonder is a beautiful way of seeing. Wonder never rests on the surface of a fact or situation. It voyages inwards to discover why something is the way it is. Wonder celebrates the mystery and depth of presence that is within us and around us. It has no greed to grasp or own the heart of a thing. As Patrick Kavanagh said: "Through a chink too wide comes in no wonder." Wonder keeps experience fresh and original. At the Winter Solstice the divine presence stirs in the crib of the heart infusing our eyes with the glow of wonder.

John O'Donohue
Excerpt from BBC Radio 4, Christmas Reflection, 1998.