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Welcome to Christmas Eve. Michael Leach invites us to keep on looking for beauty this Christmas with the inspiration of Gerard Manley Hopkins. Fr. Bob McCahill writes from Bangladesh, where he is earning the trust of his Muslim neighbors. Dan Schutte reminds us that God often comes to us in ways and at times we least expect.
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** Have a happy Gerard Manley Hopkins Christmas ([link removed])
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Especially this Christmastime, Soul Seeing contributor Michael Leach would like all of us to love the priest and poet Gerard Manley Hopkins.

Leach loves Hopkins, he says, "because his poems help me to see everyone and everything with the eye of my soul, to behold the 'dearest freshness deep down things,' and feel the energy of love in a world 'charged with the grandeur of God.' "

Christmastime is a sad time for many of us, Leach writes, "for many reasons, even without a pandemic. We are alone — again — or not alone and have another fight with our sister, or our expectations — again — don't come close to the real. This year, Christmas blues splash wider."

Hopkins says to us: don't give in to gloom, keep on looking for beauty.

Read the full column here. ([link removed])

More background:
* You can read all Soul Seeing columns here ([link removed]) . Michael Leach and friends write columns that are spiritual reflections on the beauty that hides behind appearances and the peace that is beyond all understanding.

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** Christmas 2020 letter: Act of charity, service is the best religion ([link removed])
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For many years, Maryknoll Fr. Bob McCahill has been sending an annual letter to friends at Christmastime, chronicling his experience living among the people of Bangladesh. Since 1984, NCR has published his annual letter in the Christmas issue.

This year, McCahill writes about how he is building trust with his Muslim neighbors in Chandpur District. "In all the 13 districts I have lived since coming to Bangladesh 45 years ago, the first two years are characterized by a movement of peoples' suspicion of me to trust in me and from toleration of me, to cooperation with me."

McCahill says that he tries to write about the good traits he sees in Bangladeshi Muslims and Hindus so that he can have a greater appreciation of people and life. "When I acknowledge the goodness of the people God places me among, gratitude becomes even more deeply rooted in my heart."

Read Bob’s full letter here. ([link removed])
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** More headlines
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* In his final reflection for Advent, composer Dan Schutte reminds us ([link removed]) that God often comes to us in ways and at times we least expect. It's part of God's mischief to keep us on our toes, he says.
* For EarthBeat, photographer Sean Hawkey shares a photo essay from Honduras ([link removed]) , where tens of thousands of people are spending Christmas in makeshift tents or trying to migrate to the United States after this year’s hurricane season.
* It’s Christmas Eve even in Francis, the comic strip ([link removed]) , where Brother Leo, Gabby and Pope Francis are gazing out into the night.

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** Final thoughts
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You won’t receive your regular daily newsletter tomorrow, but we’ll be back on Monday.

On this Christmas Eve, I’d like to take a moment on behalf of my colleagues at NCR, Global Sisters Report and EarthBeat to wish you a happy, safe and healthy Christmas. Your support makes our work possible and gives us motivation to continue our mission. We are grateful for you!

Until Monday,

Brittany Wilmes
Engagement Editor
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
Twitter: @bwilmes ([link removed])

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