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No Room In the Inn

12/11/2012

 

No Room In the Inn

The busiest days of the entire year are these just before Christmas when we rush from one thing to another trying to accomplish all that must be done—and we hate being interrupted whenever we’re in a hurry to complete a task. Woe to the saboteur of someone’s schedule! Regardless who she or he is, they easily can become a victim of a blistering outburst of angry annoyance.

When we have no room for anything more, unexpected demands made on our time are greatly resented. Our clocks lack emergency switches able to expand our ever-shrinking time with an additional thirty to forty-five minutes with which to react to some petition. Therefore, some have posted on the doors to their offices—or their hearts—an invisible sign that is their version of the answer to that famous request in the gospel Christmas story, “No room in the Inn-tricately crowded agenda of my day.”

So wise men and women—not on camels, but on tight schedules—must always be able to create room for the unexpected time beggars. They do so because of the wise advice given to the Greeks in the Odyssey: “All strangers and beggars are from Zeus, and a gift, though small, is precious!” And early Christians were likewise advised in the letter to the Hebrews: “Do not neglect being hospitable, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.”

Christmastide is renowned for telling stories, so I ask the pardon of old friends as I retell one of my favorites: Once a man died and awoke to find himself seated alone in what appeared to be a waiting room. Leaning his head against the wall he could faintly hear voices on the other side he presumed were a committee or jury since they were deciding his ultimate fate. He heard them speaking of his good deeds, his charity to the poor and devotion to prayer. But just as they seemed about to announce his reward, louder voices objected, “True, true; he did do some good in his life. Yet every time that we came to visit him he always became greatly agitated, referring to our visitations as interruptions!”
Tom Skorupa
12/11/2012 07:04:01 am

No room indeed! Sounds, Edward, like you've articulated the essence of Advent: Make space! Don't let even your self-important agendas become an obstacle. Maybe this Advent, I'll really get the bulldozer out and level a few mountains and fill in a few valleys so the way can be level and open. At least I'm more likely to really hear the Psalm verse of my daily morning meditation: "Grow higher, ancient doors. Let Him enter, the King of Glory.

Dan Sanley
12/11/2012 11:05:30 am

Thank Ed for this comment, as he who discovered it: Woody Allen once said, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans."

I should point out a possible error in translation in Luke regarding the "inn". It was translated from the Greek word "kataluma" which can also be translated as a "guest room". Would it not seem more likely that Mary and Joseph were staying with family? With the census and house full, when the baby was born there was no additional guest room, so they had to use the lower level of the building where the animals were housed.

Rudi Dietrich
12/11/2012 12:03:52 pm

Dear


Dear Tom, we are also overloaded with all the MUST, SHOULD, NEED TO, HELP cries in mail and our environment in general. What should we concentrate on? I certainly agree with space and openness. So much locks us in or ties us to some demand.
your Rudi



dansanley@aol.com
12/18/2012 12:53:58 am

Rudi asks, "What should we concentrate on?" This same question was asked of John the Baptist, who replied that we should concentrate on sharing and being just/fair. One only need to turn to scriptures for answers!!

Rudi Dietrich
12/11/2012 12:09:06 pm

Dear Dan, This is a great way of seeing this passage. It shows that we need openness. We need to be free and have courage enough to accept new possibilities of insights and interpretations.

Rudi Dietrich
12/11/2012 12:13:04 pm

Dear Ed,
Thanks for this so important "opening" idea. We surely have a no space alarm but rarely a open some extra space button. I also seem to crowd my head too much. not only lofty stuff but irritation and ideas of control. Thanks, your Rudi

Dan Sanley
12/18/2012 12:55:46 am

On the subject of distractions, thought I would share this amusing story: St Bernard of Clairvaux was once traveling with a poor, uneducated farmer, who noticed that the abbot kept his eyes cast downward. When the farmer asked why the saint wasn't looking at the beautiful countryside, Bernard explained that he wanted to avoid distractions while praying. In response, the farmer boasted, “I'm never distracted when I pray.” The saint objected, “I don't believe it. Now let me make a deal with you. If you can say the Our Father without one distraction, I'll give you this mule I'm riding. But if you don't succeed, you must come with me and be a monk.” The farmer agreed and began praying aloud confidently, “Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed by thy name...” Then, after pausing for moment, he asked St Bernard, “Can I have the saddle too?”


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