GSR Today - A few things happened in on my reporter's beat to make the goal of peace more tangible and urgent for me. The first? Being further awakened to the effects of war on real people. And sisters at the U.N., with their mixture of pragmatism and idealism, put what I have seen into global perspective.

"What if we imagine the Incarnation as an invitation to celebrate the potentiality that is ours if we open ourselves to take a long loving look at the real?"

"Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means 'God is with us.'"

"Joseph was not a passive witness to the birth of the child. Mary and Joseph peered in each others’ eyes and knew a love that sustained them. Let us fill our celebrations of Christ’s birth with love that sustains our family of Earth!"

"Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting. It is happiness because we see joy in people. It is forgetting self and finding time for others."

See for Yourself - On a recent visit to an area cathedral on a Saturday morning, I walked in and saw a number of college-age people walking around, looking at the structure's interior. 

"Incarnation is not a one-time event. It is ongoing as we grow in wisdom, age and grace. During this Christmas season, be awake and aware of how incarnations burst into your life."

GSR Today - We set up The Life to further the global sisterhood by sharing approaches and solutions in pursuit of a better world. Twenty sisters from around the world share their thoughts and expertise by answering a question posed to the panel each month. What would you like to ask them?

Sr. Marge Clark of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary spent 13 years with Network, lobbying for changes in national policy. Recently retired, she talks to GSR about the changes she's seen and the challenges of hyperpartisan Washington.

At a time in our world when there is so much happening that brings sorrow to our hearts, it is important to pause and to contemplate the everyday incarnations that appear in our lives.