Illumination

The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5-13

Light is called luminous energy.

Light is called radiant energy.

A light shines in the darkness...and the darkness has not overcome it.

Darkness cannot, will not, does not overcome it.

But sometimes, it's difficult to remember...

difficult to feel...

difficult to believe...

that Emmanuel is "God with us" and God in us,

this Eternal flame and Eternal Energy

Placed within us for Purpose.

Gusts of bitter cold circumstances chill us to the bone

and freeze pieces of our hearts, freezing our peace.

It feels like we may never thaw or be whole again.

Chilling words and experiences are icy daggers to our hope.

It feels safer to stay numb and frozen to prevent all of this feeling.

Breezy distances grow between us and others, between us and nature, between us and our Creator.

It feels like the warmth of love is absent, is only a naive concept.

Can there truly be light, warmth and energy in this seemingly cold

and unfeeling world,

in the frozen consciences of mankind and womankind?

Light sometimes seems to appear out of nowhere.

"When they saw the star, they were overjoyed." Matthew 2:10.

A glimmer of hope,

a spark of insight,

a flicker of promise...

It comes so unexpectedly at times:

"When they saw the star, they were overjoyed." Matthew 2:10.

It's just enough to keep us going, hoping, believing

that whatever is happening now through darkness

is preparation,

is waiting in expectation,

is a slow-scratching off of the thick film of circumstance

on what can be a stained-glass window of life.

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

When we acknowledge that God's Spirit-flame

not only CAME down for us but also LIVES in us,

we CHOOSE to allow it allow it to enLighten our whole being.

Inviting this light and making room for it,

Invoking the Name of the Light of the world as the source,

Instilling Truth to feed this flame...

We flicker on.

But we have responsibilities to keep feeding this flame.

The Body, housing the Spirit, has needs.

Food is Gift is Energy to heat this Body,

this dwelling-place of God.

He designed us to require our daily bread as well as Our Daily Bread.

We simply cannot deny ourselves these needs and expect to be whole.

We cannot deny the needs He has for His Home.

Food is heat-energy.

(Go ahead, look up the definition of calories).

Feeding Body and Feeding Spirit are shared responsibilities.

How else can we energize the Body God Created

to carry on as God's workmanship,

as God's heat-bearers and light-sharers?

We are made

to be brave candles flickering in this windy world filled with long-winded messages of doubt and despair,

and it's only because of our Light Source -

the Birthday Candle, Christ -

the candle which cannot be extinguished.

This Candle remains lit despite every blow,

despite every gust.

And it's no trick-candle.

This ever-lit flame of Christ is Given to us.

It's His unending, unceasing, everlasting Gift.

This special Flame placed within us by our God, Our Savior,

Our Protector,

Remains

so that we might be lit-up with love and life,

to grow and warm and radiate to the cold around us,

proclaiming, promising,

all the while praying...

Let. God. Be. Seen.

Let. God. Be. Felt.

Let. God. Be. In. Us.

"O God, help me to dare to believe the incredible truth that you could live in me, and live there out of choice, out of preference. Help me realize that whether I understand or not, you love me, are present to me, live in me, dwell in me, call me, save me. You and I are in all truth One Spirit."

-Thomas Merton, The Monastic Journey.

Heat is rising, warming us from the inside-out...