Wednesday, December 14
FEAST OF JOHN OF THE CROSS, PRIEST, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH
Don’t be left in the dark
Darkness can be terrifying, whether the pitch black of the night sky or the desolation felt at low points in life. Saint John of the Cross was no astronomer or psychologist, but he knew profound darkness. The Carmelite mystic of 16th-century Spain struggled to understand and articulate the challenges a person faces as she or he grows closer to God. You’d think it would get easier, but, as Saint John notes, it gets harder and harder to unhook from the things that keep us from God, distracting us from our truest selves. John’s poetry speaks of the transformative power of this dark night of the soul: “Oh, night that guided me, / Oh, night more lovely than the dawn.” Where do you find God transforming your dark nights into dawn?TODAY’S READINGS: Isaiah 45:6b-8, 18, 21b-25; Luke 7:18b-23 (189)
“I am the Lord, there is no other; I form the light, and create the darkness.”
CONTRIBUTORS
Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, O.F.M., Ann O'Connor, Joel Schorn, Patrice J. Tuohy, and Sister Julie Vieira, I.H.M.
Like us/follow us and post your comments on Facebook or Twitter
Please like us, follow us, and share your comments to our daily posts on our Facebook or Twitter pages. We welcome the feedback!
Give your parish bulletin a boost
Buy a bulk subscription to Take Five for Faith and provide a week's worth of inspiration in your Sunday bulletin. For subscription details go to TakeFiveForFaith.com.
Promote vocationsReligious priests, brothers, sisters, nuns, and others in consecrated life as well as diocesan priests and permanent deacons are vital to the life of the church. Please invite Catholic men and women to consider a church vocation, and make these FREE vocation resources available in your parish or places of ministry:
Citing of the Week
"Planning best starts with a reflection on the gifts and strengths we find in a situation, not the problems that must be resolved."
--© Bryan Froehle, 2011, Pastoral Trends, PrepareTheWord.com
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please no anonymous comments. I require at least some way for people to address each other personally and courteously. Having some name or handle helps.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.