By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Luke 1: 76-79
All we can really do is marvel at these ancient words from the Song of Zechariah! They so perfectly encompass all the hopes and dreams of humans from every time and place. Luke begins by ascribing “tender mercy” to our God, a far cry from the threatening and punishing image of the Divine that has come to pervade our culture. Just as the first glimpse of the sun after a dark night awakens hope, our loving God enlightens the shadows of our souls with words of grace and forgiveness. We’ve endured so much over these months of the pandemic–fear and anxiety abound. Many loved ones have died–each week brings word of new tragedies–it’s easy for hope to slip away. But as we focus on the core gospel message of our faith, we glimpse the light, and more often than not, we are amazed to discover that the light comes from within, where the Christ gene has been planted in every human soul. And slowly, sometimes almost against our will, that Christ presence enlightens our whole being and brings us the serenity that we crave. And bit by bit, even as the culture grows more neurotic, we learn to walk in the way of peace.
Thought for the Day: How peaceful am I feeling these days?
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