Daily Reflection
January 2nd, 2005 (U.S.
Liturgical Calendar)
January 6th, 2005 (International
Liturgical Calendar)
by
Maria Teresa Gaston
Center for Service and Justice
Click here for a photo of and information
on this writer.
These
are incredibly beautiful readings today, the celebration of Christmas for
many in the world. Isaiah 60 and Psalm 72 deserve to be read aloud
at dinner or in family or community prayer. Savor the images of the prophecies
of the glory of the Lord. Share which image you love most.
Two leap out at me: Isaiah v. 4 and 5 being applied to the Epiphany: I picture Christ ‘growing radiant,’ his heart ‘throbbing and full’ at the sight of all nations coming, sons and daughters from far away. And from Psalm 72: “Like sun and moon he will endure, age after age, welcome as rain that falls on the pasture and showers to thirsty soil.” We are those pastures and thirsty soil, battered and dried by the pressures of our culture and the expectations we put on ourselves. The Scriptures of Christmas remind us: The hidden mystery is not a hoax as so much of our treadmill lifestyle and priorities proclaim – that we must do it on our own, secure our ramparts, protect ourselves because no one else is out there who really cares. No. Today, let us give IN to the Mystery… allow ourselves to Live the Trust; Journey with the Magi to that place of Welcome and Peace, Clarity and Wholeness. Our God is waiting, growing radiant, with his/her heart throbbing and full.
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