A Prayer to Awaken to the Goodness in the Heart of life

We can embrace each day as a new beginning aware of God’s presence within and all around.

“I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly.”

John 10:10

A Prayer by Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP

Holy Presence,

Breath of Life moving through all creation,

awaken us to the goodness

pulsing at the heart of life itself.

At the dawn of each day,

teach us to receive this moment

as a sacred beginning—

fresh with possibility,

brimming with grace.

Open our eyes to Your presence

dwelling within us,

stirring in our deepest longings,

and shimmering all around us

in earth, sky, and every living being.

When fear narrows our vision,

remind us that You desire fullness for us—

life unfolding in joy, compassion, and courage.

When weariness weighs us down,

restore our trust in the abundance You promise.

May we live awake

to the holy ground beneath our feet,

to the goodness beating in our own hearts,

and to the call to share this life generously

with all whom we meet.

Jesus, you assure us:

“I came that you may have life,

and have it abundantly.”

Root this promise deep within us,

that we may rise each day

to choose love,

to nurture hope,

and to celebrate the gift of being alive in You.

Amen.

— Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP

Walking in Our Sandals” by Annie Watson ARCWP, Christmas Homily

Luke 2:1-20

December 24, 2025

Rev. Annie Watson, Holy Family Catholic Church

No matter the size of our feet, the Christmas story teaches us that God has walked in our sandals, after he grew up enough to walk. This is what makes us unique. Our faith teaches that God literally becomes flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, breathes in the air of the earth’s atmosphere, and lives an average lifespanfor that place and time, although he was murdered unjustly at the end. 

This story is not a work of fiction; it is a real, historical event. As John’s gospel says, “The Word became flesh and lived among us.” If someone had walked around with a camera, therewould have been pictures, sandals and all.

I like this image of God walking in our sandals because sandals were everyday footwear in that time and place. They were dusty and ordinary, worn by real people in real places. To say God walks in our sandals is to say that God experiences what we experience, not from above but from within. God is not a spectator to human struggle but a participant in it.

The Christmas story is not just about a baby being born; it’s about God taking on flesh—hunger, fatigue, joy, pain, relationships, limitations. God doesn’t just understand humanity in theory but lives it. God is not aloof. God is empathetic to our needs. 

This is a core teaching of our faith. God lives within a specific culture and historical moment. God suffers and dies through Jesus. Through Jesus, God embraces human fragility. (I suspect his sandals didn’t always fit perfectly either, and he probably suffered from that.)

We call this the “incarnation,” which means a deity embodied the flesh of a human being. “God is with us.” This is more than just divine presence, however; this is divine participation in human life. Most religions speak of gods visiting, appearing, or inspiring humans. Christianity claims something far more radical: God becomes one of us.

At the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD, Jesus was declared “Truly God, Truly Man,” that is, Jesus was 100% divine and 100% human. Mathematicians might have a hard time with those numbers, but theologians are not bound by math formulas.They claim that in Jesus, God and humanity are united in one person without subtracting from his divinity or humanity.

No matter our math skills, Christmas is the story of Mary giving birth to God in the flesh. And when that baby grew up, he walked in our sandals. They touched the earth. They met us where we are: at work, in relationships, in our hopes and fears, and in our joys and sorrows. 

How this happened is one of the great mysteries of our faith, but on a more practical level it serves as a model of ministry for you and me. Just as God “dwelt among us,” we too are encouraged to be present with others, to be in solidarity with others, to show humility in our humanity, and to engage with others through our respective cultures. 

Through Jesus, God has walked in our sandals, and now we walk in Jesus’ sandals. And they are really big sandals to fill.

Who Are the Real Angels- Messengers of God’s Love in your Life? Christmas Homily 2025-

Homily: Bridget Mary Meehan

In these times of turmoil and anxiety, there are angels in our home, community and all around reminding us that the glory of God surrounds us and guides us like a brilliant light- illuminating our path. 

The Glory of God enfolds us like a cosmic womb.

In the first reading the prophet Isaiah describes the nurturing aspects of darkness that enfolds us like a cosmic womb. Elizabeth Johnson, in her powerful reflections on the divine, speaks of the "cosmic womb" of God. She writes that the divine is not only the creator of life but the very space that holds and nurtures all life. Johnson imagines this divine womb as a place where all creation is born and continually re-birthed, a divine matrix of life that nurtures and protects. In this image, we are reminded that the incarnation is not just about a moment in history but about the ongoing presence of God that holds the entire universe in love. We are invited into that womb to receive God’s peace, which casts out all fear.

We can give birth to the divine every day.

The medieval mystic, Meister Eckhart, reminds us that “We are all mothers of God.” 

Like Mary, we have the capacity to give birth to the divine within. This means that the Christ Presence is not only born into the world through the historical Mary, but also through each of us, in every moment we choose to welcome God into our lives. The power of love triumphs over our fears and Christ is born anew within us each and every day through our compassionate care of our sisters and brothers and our prophetic witness to the Gospel.

We are one, connected in the Cosmic Christ

Our second reading from Hebrews reminds us that Emmanuel God dwelled in our midst in Jesus and forever in the Cosmic Christ; in whom we are one and in whom we live, and move and have our being. Here we are all one, connected, in the. Depths of divine love. Here is our deepest reality, our soul power where there is nothing to fear.

There is nothing to fear, God is here. 

In the Gospel of Luke, the angel voices assure the shepherds, with the words: “Do not fear.”

Richard Rohr invites us to see fear not as something to be condemned but as something to be transformed even in our struggles, doubts, and fears. He writes, “When we truly grasp this, fear begins to lose its hold on us. The divine light, though overwhelming at first, is not meant to blind us but to reveal a deeper reality: God is here.”

Listen to Real Life Angels in our world today

The real angels, who birth the divine are among us, are those who step into our fear-filled moments with messages of hope, encouragement, inspiration and strength.

Who are the real angels, the messengers of God’s love, showing us that in ordinary life, light and grace, can prevail? 

Let us pause now for a minute and give thanks for the angels of grace in our lives and world.

In our MMOJ community, you are the real flesh and blood angels- who inspire, challenge and comfort me each week in these crazy times when the world seems upside down. Thank you! 

Like the angels we are and are called to be, let us celebrate this Christmas Eve with good news of great joy!

Community Sharing: All

 

A Christmas Prayer by Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP

Holy Mystery of Love,
You enter our world quietly—
breathing among us
in the fragile wonder of a newborn child.
In the soft stillness of Christmas,
we pause,
and open the door of our hearts
to receive You again.

You come without fanfare,
not enthroned in power,
but resting in vulnerability—
cradled by Mary’s courage,
guarded by Joseph’s faith,
laid in a manger where heaven
meets earth.

In this holy birth,
You reveal the face of Divine Love—
gentle, expansive,
a tenderness that bends low
and gathers all into its embrace.

On this sacred night,
awaken us to the Christ born within—
the quiet radiance dwelling in every soul,
the holy spark stirring compassion,
calling us to honor Your image
alive in every people and culture,
in Earth’s wounded beauty,
and in all creation longing for justice and peace.

May the light of this Child
shine into the broken places of our world:
where violence hardens hearts, bring peace;
where exclusion closes doors, widen the circle;
where despair crushes the spirit,
ignite a hope strong enough to carry us through.

As Mary brought forth Jesus, 
may we, too, give birth to Christ—
in acts of tenderness and courage,
in daring love and faithful resistance,
in lives poured out for the sake of others.

Guide us to live the Gospel with open hands
and fearless hearts—
proclaiming good news to all,
freedom to the oppressed,
and sacred dignity
to every one of God’s beloved.

We pray in communion with Jesus, our brother,
born of God’s boundless love,
trusting in the Light
that no darkness can ever overcome.

Amen.

A Healing Miracle by Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP

 

Rich K.

Rich K was in a coma in intensive care for seven days, completely unresponsive. Years earlier, after a painful experience with the Church following his son’s suicide, Rich had stepped away from Catholicism.

During those long days in the ICU, Rich’s wife, Delilah, asked me to come and anoint him. I visited Rich at his bedside, signed him with holy oil, and prayed the Rite of the Anointing of the Sick. Members of several faith communities—including Oakwood Manor and Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community—faithfully held Rich in daily prayer.

A few days later, Rich came out of the coma.

Delilah later shared what happened next:

“I have to tell you what Rich said today. I told him that you came in and anointed him with oil, and he said, ‘Oh my goodness—I’m Catholic again!’ Then he proceeded to tell his nurse all about you and how wonderful you were. It reminded me of the Bible story where Jesus heals the man with leprosy and he runs away, leaping with joy. Rich was like that all day—loving everybody and everything.”

The following Sunday, Delilah added with a smile:

“He thinks so too—he even turned off sports this morning and watched church on TV 😇.”

To me, this is a healing miracle—not only of the body, but of the heart and spirit. It is a powerful reminder that God’s grace reaches us even in our deepest pain, and that love, prayer, and sacrament can open doors we thought were long closed.

I just received a text from Delilah that Rich was released from the hospital this evening.

Thanks be to God.

A Prayer of Healing and Returning Grace

Holy and Tender God,
Source of life, mercy, and unending compassion,
we thank you for your healing presence
that meets us in hospital rooms,
in moments of despair,
and in the quiet places where faith has been wounded.

We thank you for Rich’s life,
for the breath that returned,
for the joy that awakened,
and for the grace that rekindled his spirit.
We thank you for Delilah’s loving faith,
for communities who prayed without ceasing,
and for the sacrament of healing
that carries your promise of wholeness.

Healing God,
reach into every heart that has stepped away in pain,
every soul carrying grief, anger, or unanswered questions.
Remind us that nothing—
not loss, not doubt, not time—
can separate us from your love.

May your Spirit continue to restore
bodies, hearts, and relationships.
May joy leap again where sorrow once lived.
And may we trust, always,
that your grace finds us—
again and again—
when we least expect it.

Amen.