My celebration of Christmas began on the beach in the late afternoon of December 24th. The waves were rushing to the shore reverberating against the rocks. The sea breeze cooled us. Eagles circled overhead. Several hundred devotees were sitting around Amma under the palms; cross-legged on the sand before her, perched on chairs and leaning against the rocks.
I thought of the Fisher of Men, whose birthday we were about to celebrate. Now over two thousand years later, I was sitting with the Fisher Girl on the seashore of her birthplace. When young she had meditated here alone: now she meditates with a sea of people. I fell into silence with Amma. Ma. Om.

Amma asked us a question about the meaning of a line of the prayer we chant daily: “Lead us from death to immortality.” The answers stressed the concepts of discriminating between what is ephemeral and eternal and the goal of reaching the eternal Supreme Consciousness. In Sanatana Dharma it is stressed that this supreme and all pervading consciousness is present in every aspect of creation: sentient and insentient.

I contemplated this idea as I watched the sea eagles circling lower in the sky over Amma’s head. The palm branches seemed to be asking the breeze to blow them closer to Amma. We see all of creation being attracted to her. Won’t even a stone try to roll closer to Amma, attracted by the intense vibration of her pure love? As Amma listened and injected an occasional comment into the discussion, she cuddled a succession of small children. She was so tuned to them that she seemed to know the moment a child’s attention flagged or it was getting uncomfortable and she would return the tyke to its mother.

In the evening, a Christmas tree glowed in the corner of the International Canteen. Christmas stars twinkled around Amma’s porch. I couldn’t help thinking of all the family Christmas trees with my brother’s and my favourite and slightly tattered angel topping the tree. In the morning we would dash to the tree to see if Santa had left anything for us, and later check to see if he had eaten the cookies and drunk the milk kept on the hearth of the fireplace for him.

Now I shared Christmas with a much larger family, as that night well over a thousand visitors packed the bhajan hall for the annual Christmas play, presented by the international community. The theme of this year’s play was the life of the three Marys. Each woman recounted the story of her life and relationship with Jesus. The message of the drama was very moving and I had tears in my eyes when the characters spoke of their meeting with Christ. “Jesus passed through our town and that day my life changed forever.” “My life became alive when I met him.” “Every day is a blessing as I walk in the presence of Love.” “All here have nothing but him now.” I remembered my first meeting with Amma and how the earth had shifted under my feet.
As the play progressed, I listened the Maha Vakyas of Christianity. “You are your brother’s keeper.” “Love your neighbor as yourself.” “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” I was reminded that it was love that was the foundation of Christianity at its inception. It was the power of pure love that attracted people to Jesus and it was that spirit of love among his followers that caused the religion to sweep the known world in such a short period of time.

Amma emphasized this idea in her Christmas message when she said that we can become closer to God by our compassion for the suffering. Then she gave us a concrete example. When the Christmas cake was brought to her, she blessed it and told us that WE should become the cake. I savored my delicious piece of chocolate cake with that sankalpa of Amma’s and her joyous singing still reverberating in the atmosphere. As I walked toward the flats, I pondered Amma’s metaphor. How to become as selfless as a piece of cake? Could I at least offer more sweetness to others?

In my room, as the ashram quieted, I could hear the sound of the waves, beating against the shore under the bright moon. It was the Arabian Sea, not the Sea of Galilee, but the flame of Supreme Love that once illumined that shoreline, now lights up the lives of those on this shore and its light over all creation.

– Rta