“There is a beautiful story recounted every Christmas in the forests of the Provence of southern France. It’s about the four shepherds who came to Bethlehem to see the child. One brought eggs, another bread and cheese, the third brought wine. And the fourth brought nothing at all. Peoole called him L’Enchante.
The first three shepherds chatted with Mary and Joseph, commenting on how well Mary looked, how cozy was the cave and how handsomely Joseph had appointed it, what a beautiful starlit night it was. They congratulated the proud parents, presented them with their gifts and assured them that if they needed anything else, they had only to ask.
Finally someone asked, “Where is L’Enchante?” They searched high and low, up and down, inside and out. Finally someone peeked through the blanket hung against the draft, into the creche. There, kneeling at the crib, was L’Enchante – the Enchanted One. Like a flag or a flame taking the direction of the wind, he had taken the direction of love. Through the entire night, he stayed in adoration, whispering, “Jesu, Jesu, Jesus – Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.”
… The Enchanted One is laid waste by one pure passion. His single-mindedness leads him to a realistic assessment: anything connected with Christmas that is not centered in Christ – tree, ornaments, turkey dinner, exchange of gifts, worship itself – is empty gesturing. Bless are the shipwrecked, for they see God in all the trappings of Christmas and experience a joy that the world does not understand.”
From Brennan Manning, in Watch For The Light.
Oh come let us adore Him. {Merry Christmas and thanks for reading.}
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