God's light shows us amazing possibilities (St. Pope John Paul II / Barbara E. Quinn, RSCJ)

Let yourselves be taken over
by the Light of Christ,
and spread that light wherever you are.

 --St. Pope John Paul II

    Here we are today - a new generation! When the light of the Epiphany star sears our souls, it also casts a beam of light across and beyond any horizon we have imagined before, calling us to a new vision. Yes, our days are punctuated by normal, everyday common doins’ but when we make space for God’s grace to inhabit us and soak us through to the depths of our hearts, we are amazed and drawn out of our everydayness to see and do the unimaginable. God’s light will show us amazing possibilities for our world: 

· Poor and rich, young and old, women and men working together for a more just and more gentle world; 

· Jews and gentiles, yes, but also Muslims, Christians, “nones,” and unbelievers recognizing that all of us are on a common journey towards life and love and meaning; 

· Churches where women and men share equally in the life of worship, discernment, and leadership; churches where laity and ordained work as partners and co-creators of communities where allare welcome: people of color speaking in a multitude of languages, gay and straight and searching, married and divorced, the lost and forgotten; 

· A world of official leaders and common citizens uniting to reverse climate changes that threaten the life of our planet; 

· A world where borders that block people from moving towards safety, dignity, and family reunion are dismantled. 

   Difficult? Yes! Impossible? No….not if we let the Light and Spirit of this small and vulnerable babe penetrate our hearts, allowing us to see beyond the darkness of our too small worlds, the shrunken horizons of our own making. It is not impossible if we are faithful to our everyday calls like the shepherds and ever ready to travel towards new and wider horizons like the wise Magi sojourners. It is not impossible if we trust that God teaches us to see to the inside of our daily realities where the power of God is at work, always beckoning us deeper and forward. 

 --Barbara E. Quinn, RSCJ 

Image source: https://sacredheartfla.org/sunday-mornings/seasonal/feast-days-solemnities/the-solemnity-of-the-epiphany-three-kings-day/
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