Welcome to a World of Spiritual Harmony

This idea - that the Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin - is one that I accepted uncritically growing up in a Catholic school. And one now that makes absolutely no sense at all - seems in fact intellectually indefensible. Never mind that my heart and my gut cannot conceive of a father who would stain all his other children with sin at birth and save just two - Mary and her son.

Are we not born the children of a loving and supportive Universe / Goddess / God / Light / Higher Power? Is not our Creator infinitely able to bring into being whatever It desires? How in the world, then, did the idea of original sin ever come into being?

Did it not have to be originally invented so that we would need a mediator / middle man (the Goddess sure didn’t invent it!) to talk to our deity, one who would be said to have the power to save us from all this evil? And then to add Limbo for unbaptized babies to this teetering pile, and indulgences, novenas, rote formulas for prayer - so that none of us would dare have an actual conversation with our Creator on our own.

I like Matthew Fox’s concept of Original Blessing much better. Judgment and control are not what makes the world go round. We are born joyful children of a joyful Universe, and are here to bring our skills and talents to making that Universe an even better place. Learning, growing, experiencing love along the way are all bonuses.

Co-creation with a loving powerful Partner is what happens on the planet I live on. This idea of innate sinfulness is much too small and negative an idea for me.

If you really want to feel better about the world, I can recommend one great place to go: the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless annual dinner!

The banquet hall at Xavier’s Cintas Center is packed with people on a cold December evening: homeless people, a big contingent of Drop Inn Center staff, hard working folk from all the other agencies who work with the currently homeless, the nearly homeless, those at risk of homelessness, those who have been homeless. Housing agencies are there, as are the families of those who will be receiving awards, lots of faith-based folk, everybody is there - the place is truly packed.

There’s just enough room for the silent auction items, a table to sell buddy gray’s poetry and Michael Hanson’s plus handpainted Christmas ornaments, enough room for the buffet line (yummy mashed potatoes and spicy green beans, says this vegetarian) - the rest of the huge room is packed with tables of people celebrating their hard work, their victories, pondering their losses, pondering homelessness in the richest country in the world.

Everyone in the room is a poet, judging by the introductions of the award winners, the acceptances by those who won, Georgine Getty’s State of the Coalition poem, which is destined to live well beyond it’s premier performance. David Logan, who’s traveled along a lot of roads himself, took us from Dickens’ 1850’s Bleak House to today’s Over-the-Rhine, with grizzled perceptions and much wry humor during his keynote.

The beauty of all those words, the realities and truth and resonance of them. With people like this alive and working to create the world I want to live in - there is no room for despair. And plenty of space for love and hope.

This year, I actually started before Thanksgiving - didn’t put anything up, but brought all the boxes in from the shelves in the garage, so that first thing Friday morning (showing great restraint until that time!) I could begin the process of converting the house to Christmas Central.

And get ready for the Winter Solstice, St. Nicholas Day, St. Lucia’s Day, Hannukah and Kwanzaa. I love to celebrate everything!

Much of the usual wonderful stuff on the shelves, windowsills, floors disappears and is replaced by the Christmas version. Then more is added besides. When a particularly wonderful bow is found on a present, box or bag, it is push pinned onto a door. An intriguing ornament that appears may end up on the tree - or it may be found ornamenting the jade tree, hanging on a light switch, tucked into a nook or cranny so it can peek out at us.

I’ve started with the Christmas candles in the candlabra, added the little magic Xmas tree and a tiny Christmas plant, and the buffet is almost done. I’ve started a Christmas puzzle on the dining room table - it’s meant to be a present for a friend, but I decided to test drive it to make sure all the pieces are there. As the weather reports began forecasting cold and snow, I put the pine roping up the steps and around the porch, and the teddy bear welcome sign is hanging above the drive.

So a lot is done already, and now December has officially arrived. Time for the tree, and then the crib and then…. But first - I’m going to start the Advent Calendar, moving the first symbol from its tiny pocket up onto the calendar. Hooray!

I’ll be deep in the Christmas breadmaking soon…. Jingle Bells, Everyone!