In this world, we can either construct a dam or build a bridge. We can try to get the water to pool in one place for our benefit, or we can reach out and create connections with others. And the Epiphany of the Lord calls us to build bridges.
This Child has a Divine Mission, and that Mission will bring out the best and the worst in the people He encounters. There will be pain, Mary — and you will experience it, as well.
When the backdrop falls apart, or the light flickers on and off, when a truck veers off the road and there is no frankincense or myrrh, or even when someone tries to steal Jesus at Christmas, the Love of Christ comes to us.
Apparently, Joy is rather subversive. Joy is always working in the background — always trying to redeem the heartache and the hurt.
Christmas is never an escape. Christmas deals with reality.
Jesus always saw the possibility for change, knowing that Light does shine in all darkness.
The last day of the Church year invites us to put the most vulnerable first, because those on the margins are found at the very center of our Faith.
Despite the reassurance, change always feels rather overwhelming.
Prayer is not just about the immediate moment. It ends up preparing us for all of the moments to come.
It’s one thing to notice the Presence of God in the dramatic, but it’s yet another thing to discover the Presence of God in the midst of ordinary life.