December 22, 2024
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For me, there is always something magical about dark winter mornings. I think the feeling might be left over from childhood. Stretching on tiptoes then, I would peek over the window sill into that rich darkness to see if it had snowed. Had the silent night left a white playground awaiting me in the first glimmer of the morning?
The magic too may be a residue of many Christmas mornings when I would peer into the darkness for a glimpse of a vanishing Santa, hoping to surprise him before his undiscovered retreat. Even today on a winter morning, before I brew my tea, I look out into the darkness for the promise and surprise of the new day. Something of childlike hope stays in all our grown-up hearts.
But sometimes, darkness can be scary. It can cause us to lose our way. It can cover the familiar with a grey veil of unfamiliarity. But darkness can also reveal what we might otherwise overlook. The magnificence of the stars can only be realized in the dark. The gentle revelation of moonlight on the water is a gift only of the night.
My father died suddenly when I was still a young woman. His death was devastating to me and my family and I wondered why God had seemed to forget us. The deep mourning lasted for months, but I remember one night in the midst of it that changed everything.
It was a clear, almost purple evening. I had walked to the window, my soul still filled with the silent tears of a long bereavement. I stared out into the darkness and saw the first brilliant evening star singularly poised in the velvet blackness. In that moment, I knew that under all our pain, the love and justice of God still anchored the world. I knew that in time more stars would break through and eventually the first rays of sun. I knew that the darkness contained much more than I could ever see or understand and that my father was safe in its embrace. I understood that the deep light of faith is often wrapped in the shawl of night.
This is a time of year when we remember the gifts that have come to us out of the darkness. Advent is a time when we await the Divine Word Who “when the night was midway through its course, and the whole world was still, leapt down from heaven to earth.” (Wisdom 18:1) .
During this time of faith and magical memories, may each one of us find our light in the darkness. May that light fill any night inside us with promise, hope, forgiveness, and thanksgiving. May it lead us to the confidence that under all our experience, God anchors our world in love.
For Your Reflection:
- What feelings or reactions do I have after reading this reflection?
- Do my feelings or reactions remind me of any passage or event in scripture, especially in the life of Christ?
- What actions might I take today because of my response to these readings?
Suggested Scripture:
Lavish Mercy 