Birthing

Photograph of Icon: Madonna del Parto written by Piero della Francesca, (1459-1467).

The icon photographed was purchased in the Museo della Madonna del Parto, Monterchi, Italy.

December 9, 2025

I felt called to write about pregnancy during the Christian season of Advent, the focus of which is on Mary, the mother of Jesus. But what does that have to do with us in 2025, especially those of us who aren’t pregnant right now?

Before going there, it’s probably important to give a bit of history about the Christian celebrations of Advent, (Mary’s pregnancy), and Christmas, (Jesus’ birth and early days).

Many of you will know the story of Mary’s unexpected pregnancy, her need to travel while heavily pregnant to Bethlehem where her husband Joseph had been born, her lack of an indoor space to give birth, her preparing to give birth in a stable with animals, and so forth.

The season of Christmas came to be included in the Christian Church’s liturgical year around the 3rd century C.E. The Church decided to place the celebration of Jesus’ birth into the dark winter season. That is, winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

This was one way to entice non-Christians to join the church since it replaced the Romans’ winter festivals associated with the winter solstice, the return of the sun.

Advent was added several centuries later as a four-week preparation time for the birth of Christ.

I know that each of you will have your own understandings and ways of entering into the seasons of Advent and Christmas. Perhaps you celebrate these within your own faith tradition or maybe you celebrate them more culturally, such as with family gatherings, gift giving and the like.

I felt called to write about pregnancy during Advent because its focus is on Mary’s time of waiting. I’ll write about birthing and the season of Christmas in the next blog.

I love the seasons of Advent and Christmas. Somehow they give me permission to take times of quiet and prayer in amongst the busyness of December.

I hope that you, like me might find that reflection on these seasons can be helpful for your spiritual journey. Especially if you are feeling invited to be creative, to birth something new.

Besides, it can’t hurt to reflect on pregnancy and birthing, two very hopeful aspects of human life during this dark time of the year.

Dark in terms of sunlight and dark in this time of 2025 when much of what’s happening in the world right now can feel dark and dispiriting.

Pregnancy is a time of waiting. This liminal space is often filled with hopes and dreams for the new baby.

Some of us, including myself, may never become pregnant with a human child. But all of us are creative. And so, each of us can birth newness into this world. Whether that is by creating social medial posts, singing in the shower, cooking, gardening, writing poetry, or creating whatever the Spirit moves us to.

Creativity often requires a time of waiting and pondering, just like pregnancy. And the dark Advent winter days can be conducive to this creative pondering.

Taking the time to wait and pray as part of our creative process is a way for us to connect to the Creator. To communicate “with the sacred origins of all creation.”[1]. To assist and inspire us into bringing about new beginnings, [2].

And with the destruction of many things in this world clearly we need new ideas, some creative imaginings for a more hopeful future.

It’s not easy to wait. Especially waiting for the Spirit’s inspiration and creative flow. It can even involve suffering and letting go of our own ideas and plans.

Even if we consciously spend time in contemplative prayer and listening, we can easily get off track while in the gestation time. Perhaps we notice fears and judgements in ourselves, [3]. We might have trouble accepting that we have the capacity to be creative. Perhaps something else inside is preventing us from entering the creative flow.

Self-compassion and gentleness towards ourselves can be essential elements of this pre-birthing time [4].

I invite you to consider moving into a time of Advent waiting and listening as you consider which new beginnings might be yours to bring into our hurting world.

I have two invitations to assist you with this:

1. Journal about the following questions:

What might help you to enter into a contemplative, listening, waiting stance during this Advent?

Do you have any inklings of what, if any creative actions the Spirit might be calling you towards?

2. Listen to the YouTube video of Rumi’s poem The Guest House. Reflect on how the poem might be speaking to you in this Advent time of creativity-in-waiting.

   The words of the poem are below the video if you’d like to read along. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgS3rd2sWfE

The Guest House by Jalaluddin Rumi, [5]

This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture,

still, treat each guest honourably.

He may be clearing you out

for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,

meet them at the door laughing,

and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,

because each has been sent

as a guide from beyond.

1. Kaitlin B. Curtice, Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God, Brazos Press, Grand Rapids, MI, 2020, 21 and Christine Valters Paintner, Betsey Beckman, Awakening the Creative Spirit: Bringing the Arts to Spiritual Direction, Morehouse Publishing, New York, NY, 2010, 5.

2. Curtice, Native, 23.

3. Valters Paintner, Beckman, Awakening the Creative Spirit, 22.

4. Ibid.

5. From Rumi: Selected Poems, trans. Coleman Barks with John Moynce, A. J. Arberry, Reynold Nicholson, Penguin Books, 2004. Accessed September 6, 2025 from https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/guest-house/

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.