The candle or the mirror (Edith Wharton)

There are two ways of spreading light 

– to be the candle 

or the mirror that reflects it.

--Edith Wharton        

Image source: Georges de La Tour, The Penitent Magdalen (ca. 1640), detail, https://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/now-at-the-met/2014/reflections-charles-le-bruns-mirrored-presence
Quotation source

Sunday Gospel Reflection, January 2, 2022: We saw his star at its rising...

We saw his star at its rising…

What draws you to Christ?

   We are naturally drawn to light. Isaiah encourages the people of Israel to look forward to a time after their return to Jerusalem when that city will serve as a source of light for others: Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance. This light comes from God; its purpose is twofold: first, so that the people of Israel themselves see the glory of God and all that God reveals; and second, so that other nations see the glory of God revealed in the Jerusalem’s prosperity. The people’s hearts shall throb and overflow with the light that is God’s very presence, a light that will draw all, even kings, to God. For the power of God is at work in kings as much as in the people themselves, as Psalm 72 reminds us: kings shall judge your people with justice, thanks to the gift of the light of wisdom, a revelation from God.

   Matthew’s Gospel makes it clear that the light of revelation is not given only to the Jewish people: magi from the east come to Bethlehem to seek the newborn king of the Jews. They are of pagan origin, yet they see the light of the star, and receive and follow the revelation from God, an epiphany that leads them to Jesus. The light affords them clearer vision to see and participate in the good news of Christ. In his Letter to the Ephesians, Paul will echo Matthew’s understanding that the message of salvation is for all humankind: the mystery was made known to me by revelation that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise. Paul sees Gentiles hearing the Word and responding to it; God shows no partiality or exclusivity.

   We don’t fully understand God’s will or God’s kingdom in its complete form; mystery remains attached to God’s plan. Christ himself is that plan, a plan that is still unfolding because we do not yet have the light to see and understand Christ in his fullness. But the light of salvation draws us to Jesus just as surely as it drew the magi. Let us watch for our star and do him homage, recognizing the great gift that is ours, the gift of salvation revealed for all.

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com

This woman, this man, this swaddled babe (Elizabeth Scalia)

   As this woman, this man, this swaddled babe make entry, may they fill up every molecule of space allowed with the graces they bring to bear – even unto our fearful and anxious little hearts, our shriveled souls, so often as chilly and dark as our deepest caverns – until there is light, and we let it be.

--Elizabeth Scalia

Image source: Mike Moyers, The Manger, available for purchase at: https://ascensionpress.com/products/rejoice-art-prints-the-manger
Quotation source

In that silent baby (Brian D. McLaren)

   But in that silent baby, lying in that humble manger, there pulses more potential power and wisdom and grace and aliveness than all the rest of us can imagine.

--Brian D. McLaren         

To hear Silent Night sung in Swahili, one of the four national languages of the Democratic Republic of Congo, click on the video below:

Image source: Joseph Mulamba-Mandangi, Nativity (Democratic Republic of Congo, 2001), https://thejesusquestion.org/2011/12/25/nativity-paintings-from-around-the-world/ Quotation source
Video source

Beloved sons and daughters of God (Henri Nouwen)

    Jesus came to share his identity with you and to tell you that you are the Beloved Sons and Daughters of God. Just for a moment, try to enter this enormous mystery that you, like Jesus, are the beloved daughter or beloved son of God. This is the truth. Furthermore, your belovedness preceded your birth. You were the beloved before your father, mother, brother, sister, or church loved you or hurt you. You are the beloved because you belong to God from all eternity.

    God loved you before you were born, and God will love you after you die. In Scripture, God says, I have loved you with an everlasting love. This is a very fundamental truth of your identity. This is who you are whether you feel it or not. You belong to God from eternity to eternity. Life is just a little opportunity for you during a few years to say, I love you, too.

--Henri Nouwen     

Image source 1: https://www.ibelieve.com/faith/scriptures-to-remind-you-that-you-are-beloved.html
Image source 2: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-keep-your-childs-asthma-under-control-when-playing-outside-this-winter/
Quotation source

Sunday Gospel Reflection, December 26, 2021: Beloved, we are God's children now...

Beloved, we are God’s children now…

How do you define family?

    In the Old Testament, the people of Israel defined family in terms of the larger community. When, in 1 Samuel, Hannah takes her son to the temple to dedicate him to the Lord, she is not abandoning him, but deepening their relationship with God, the source of their identity. Her act is a gesture of recognition that Samuel is a gift to her from God that she dedicates back to God. For Hannah and for Samuel, Psalm 84’s refrain, Blessed are they who dwell in your house, takes on new meaning with Samuel’s dedication. The psalmist yearns to be in the presence of the Lord, and is able to find his way to God in his heart, celebrating the relationship that is at the core of his very identity as well.

    In Luke’s Gospel, time spent in the temple does not merely allow Jesus proximity to God, but gives him the opportunity to identify God as his Father: Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house? he asks his parents, who have returned to Jerusalem in a panic, looking for the son they fear has been lost. Jesus knows who he is; his identity in God, as God, is secure.

    Thus, in the New Testament, what constitutes family is related not to bloodlines, but to faith. 1 John reminds us that we are baptized into Jesus’ death and resurrection and are therefore God’s children now. Our relationship with the Lord as children who inherit our identity is inspired by and brought about through the Lord’s love for us, lived out in our love for one another. Through Christ, the notion of family is broader than we might otherwise define it, and certainly broader than the limitations we normally place upon it. Only in the context of community do we find our true identity. Ultimately, we are called to one universal family in which everyone should belong, and know and live in Jesus Christ – as we prepare for our eventual home, a home that is perfect in love, and that is love, perfectly revealed.

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com

The all of Christmas (Wilda English)

God grant you

the light of Christmas, which is faith;

the radiance of Christmas, which is purity;

the righteousness of Christmas, 

which is justice;

the belief in Christmas, which is truth;

the all of Christmas, which is Christ. 

--Wilda English    

Every blessing at Christmas from
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Mill Valley!

Image source: https://www.facebook.com/mountcarmelmv/photos/a.3751521578242570/3751516858243042 Quotation source