Opening to the light

"Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation." Our collect for today does not ask for the grace of a daily visitation from God as so many of the collects do, but already assumes it. Jesus already comes to us daily, most directly and humbly at this altar but also in a hundred other ways if we could but apprehend him. Jesus who already lives completely in us, waits to be discovered by us. He waits to be our homeland, known and lived in.

"Restore us O God of hosts; show the light of your countenance and we shall be saved." What if for some reason we can’t see Jesus? What if, because of shame, or guilt, or confusion of spirit, the light of Jesus’ face is veiled and dark to us?

As has been pointed out by others, it may have been out of distress that Mary runs to see her cousin Elizabeth. It is not often remembered that a woman found in Mary’s condition was, by decree of the law, under sentence of death. But in this encounter, Elizabeth’s recognition of the mystery of God taking flesh in Mary is the beginning of Mary’s restoration, the beginning of an opening to light. "How is it that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" At that moment Elizabeth’s prophetic insight sets something loose in the world that can never again be contained. More importantly, it sets something loose in Mary that the enormity of her situation had not to this point allowed her to see.

Maybe the most challenging part of discovering Jesus is the fact that Jesus chooses where and whom and what he will inhabit, and how. This is why we ask for purity of conscience, that by it we may have the grace of availability, of hospitality, even under the most difficult of conditions. We need it, for the light of the face of Jesus may come to us from any quarter, not only from where we expect.

To the degree that we recognize Jesus among us, to that degree we will be grounded in Jesus who lives in us, and even this homely ground we live on will become sacred space. Blessed are they who have believed that God’s promise to them would be fulfilled.

Recent Issues

March 2024

February 2024

January 2024

December 2023

November 2023

October 2023

July 2023

May 2023

January 2023

December 2022

October 2022

September 2022

July 2022

May 2022

April 2022

March 2022

January 2022

December 2021

November 2021

October 2021

June 2021

May 2021

April 2021

February 2021

January 2021

December 2020

October 2020

September 2020

August 2020

July 2020

June 2020

May 2020

April 2020

March 2020

February 2020

January 2020

December 2019

November 2019

October 2019

September 2019

August 2019

July 2019

May 2019

April 2019

March 2019

January 2019

December 2018

November 2018

October 2018

September 2018

August 2018

July 2018

June 2018

May 2018

April 2018

March 2018

February 2018

January 2018

December 2017

November 2017

October 2017

September 2017

June 2017

May 2017

April 2017

March 2017

February 2017

January 2017

December 2016

November 2016

October 2016

September 2016

August 2016

July 2016

June 2016

May 2016

April 2016

March 2016

February 2016

January 2016

December 2015

November 2015

October 2015

September 2015

August 2015

July 2015

June 2015

May 2015