| "In His Mother's Arms for the First Time" | W. Zeitler |
| — flute & piano | |
I well remember when I held my brand-new daughter in my arms for the very first time. And how her oh-so-tiny hand, try as it might, couldn’t wrap itself all the way around even one of my fingers. It was a moment of incredible bliss, awe, and terror all rolled into one. In a word, Mystery.
In our culture we tend to think of Love = Happiness. But I think that is only half true. I think when you Love, you expose yourself to both ends of the spectrum: both joy, and sorrow. Both bliss, and terror. For our children we rejoice at their growth, accomplishments and successes. And grieve when they suffer or fail.
Meanwhile, to NOT Love is to be left with the bland middle of apathy – neither hot nor cold. Grey nothingness.
Can you really have the ecstasy without the agony?
So that is the promise of new birth. Welcome, Christ Child! Welcome to the whole gamut of human experience, to the grand adventure of Life, warts and all! And He certainly exemplifies that – with the Crucifixion to the Resurrection, and everything in between. It’s all there in His future.
On some level I’m sure Mary knew all this when she held Him in her arms for the first time. Mothers have a way of knowing these things – to their great joy and sorrow.
Click here for the mp3 (3:00)
Click here for the score (pdf)
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