Dawning Light

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Christ, confluence, darkness, light, light bearer, light of Christ, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

The word confluence comes to mind today as I sit to gather my thoughts. Often there are too many to harness into anything even remotely reasonable or logical but the need to do so is sometimes so important! At such times, I feel that letting anything go might be like losing a diamond. So I sit here winnowing…

Light and darkness are great words for this week and the SSJE brothers say it best, I think, in their “word” for today. Listen: There are so many people now shrouded in darkness. Be a light-bearer. Pray that the light of Christ be mirrored in your countenance: through your prayer, voice, writing and giving. Don’t hide the light. Let it shine! (Br. Curtis Almquist, Society of St. John the Evangelist)

Interestingly, having simply shared that energetic expression, I am now calmed and the need for more has dissolved. I’m sure (as a woman in labor is sure that the contractions will return) that the need for some more precise explication of what I’m feeling may emerge before the dawn of Friday. So I wish you good light in and around you today and hope for tomorrow. May it be so for us all!

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!

The Word of God

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Christmas, John, light, light of Christ, light of the world, love, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Word

John’s gospel speaks today – and always – of the Word breathed into the universe at the beginning. “What came to be through the Word,” John writes, “was life, and this life was the light of the human race. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” We know this light to be the light of Christ, shining in our hearts. May our love be strong, trusting that the light remains for us and those we love, in spite of any darkness that may appear. And so it is on this Christmas Day.