Sleep Medicine

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angel of the Lord, Christmas, light of Christ, radiance, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Somewhere in the middle of the night, I read a paragraph from the Brothers of St. John the Evangelist. I had already been in bed for some time and sleep wasn’t coming. If I were a young child I would have said I was awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus but at this “older age” I knew that wasn’t the issue. I simply had too much on my mind that wouldn’t go away, I got up then and checked my e-mail (something never advisable!) and it was there that I found what I felt was worthy of sharing on this Christmas morning. Then I went back to bed and fell asleep immediately.

The angel of the Lord speaks these words to us tonight: do not be afraid; do NOT be afraid. We may live in dark times. We may be afraid of the dark. We may be afraid of the darkness of the world and of our own lives. But the light of Christ shining forth this night from the manger in Bethlehem promises to banish that darkness with the radiance of God’s glory. (Br. James Koester)

Today the sun is shining brightly and the darkness has truly been overcome so I send blessings to you on this special day. May your burdens be light and your hope abound!

What Do You Say?

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Ahaz, angel of the Lord, aquiescence, Elizabeth, Isaiah, Luke, Mary, reaction, response, sign from God, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, trusted

Today’s readings got me thinking about reaction vs. response and about the difficult job of those messengers in the Bible who spoke for God. First there is Isaiah, human prophet, whose job was to warn people about coming destruction and then in the gospel “an angel of the Lord’ whose message was quite a bit more unbelievable – at least from my vantage point.

Nobody wants to hear bad news but if there seems to be a way out that involves God, it seems sensible to take the advice of the one bringing that message. I’m always surprised at what seems to be hubris on the part of Ahaz (but I would need to put it in context of the whole situation to be sure). When Isaiah tells Ahaz to ask for a sign from God, the king says, I will not ask; I will not tempt the Lord! Isaiah is clearly frustrated as he retorts, Is it enough for you to weary people; must you also weary my God? (IS 7: 10-14) In the end, he gives Ahaz the message anyway.

Then there’s Mary, whom we celebrate today as the one who heard the message that she was to be the mother of God in Jesus. I often think that the Scriptures are a bit like literary cliff notes: those wonderful summaries that high school and college students used to use (still do?) instead of reading the whole text of a book. I can’t imagine the conversation that Mary had with the angel being as brief as it appears in the gospel of Luke (1:26-38). Think about it. Some sort of presence appeared and gave this teenager the news that the Hebrew people had been awaiting for centuries. In the first place she must’ve been startled – but the angel sounded really kind, telling her not to be afraid, that God was favoring her, that her kinswoman, Elizabeth, was also the recipient of God’s favor…Still, it had to be a scary moment and she was clearly confused because she was a virgin so the only question that is recorded from her side of the conversation was about how this could possibly happen to her. Simple answer: God will take care of the details – so she said “Yes.”

The comparison is stark: a prophet’s message to a king who refuses to bow to the message and a young girl whose response to an unimaginable moment of God’s favor is wholehearted acquiescence because God is the center of her life. What does it call for? The first word that comes to me is humility and a close second is willingness.

The website of the US Bishops Conference has a video presentation for today that rivals the brevity of these exchanges and challenges our response. When I clicked on it, I was surprised that the only message was written across the screen on three frames – no talking, just one sentence about Mary and a question for us.

When the angel came to visit Mary, she trusted God to work in her life and through her actions. How do we respond to God’s work in our lives?

Breaking Out

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Acts of the Apostles, angel of the Lord, freedom of action, inner transformation, metaphor, season of resurrection, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

There are many miraculous stories in the book called The Acts of the Apostles. Today we read of what might be called “the angelic prison break” (ACTS 5:17-26). Some of the apostles have been put in jail because the high priest and his companions, the Sadducees, were jealous of their growing popularity among the people (not exactly a criminal offense!). In the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison and led them out. They went back to the public square and resumed their teaching.

While not denying the possibility of such a miraculous happening, I’m thinking of this story as a metaphor for inner transformation in our own day. What is it in me that is imprisoned for some reason, be it timidity or desire for approval, unwillingness to take a risk or to speak the truth to power…? What would it take for me to be free? In this season of resurrection in both nature and faith tradition, do I have the encouragement I need to break out of what holds me bound and then, in the freedom of that action, to witness to the power that is God’s work in me?

A worthy reflection indeed.