Awakened By the Light

Yosemite National Park

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him 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.” (John 1:1-5)

I love watching and waiting for the sun to rise, especially as the light steadily illuminates distant hills and trees one branch at a time, as if the woods are waking up and welcoming the sun’s rays. At this time of year, the bare trees seem empty of color, yet the sun’s light emblazes and reveals unexpected tones. 

As the minutes go by, the light reaches beyond the branches onto the dormant grass. Light approaches and darkness begins to fade. Yet, darkness is never completely absent, as attested to by the moss on the shadow side of the trees. The light, though, seems to spread everywhere. 

In this Octave of Christmas, we now celebrate the gift of the newborn Jesus, God’s wondrous and vulnerable oblation of love for all humankind. Illuminating our lives, do we now welcome this gift, opening our hearts to this tender infant in swaddling clothes? Not a worldly sign of power that dominates, controls or instills fear, but an otherworldly power that heals, transforms and leads us to the light. 

Pay attention, when you read and hear scripture, of the many allusions to light and darkness. Over and over again, we hear that God is light, that all will be revealed that is hidden. And let us pray to recognize the light, as we sometimes confuse it for the darkness. The Holy Spirit can teach us to see the light and embrace God’s truth. Maybe this could be our spiritual resolution for the year. Not a goal, per say, but an awakening, one branch at a time.