Karl Rahner - Light The Candles

Light The Candles

 

And now God says to us what he has already said to the world as a whole through his grace-filled birth:

"I am there. I am with you. I am your life.
I am the gloom of your daily routine. Why will you not bear it? I weep your tears - pour out yours to me, my child.
I am your joy. Do not be afraid to be happy, for ever since I wept, joy is the standard of living that is really more suitable than the anxiety and grief of those who think they have no hope.
I am the blind alleys of all your paths, for when you no longer know how to go any farther, then you have reached me, foolish child, though you are not aware of it.
I am in your anxiety, for I have shared it by suffering it. And in doing so, I wasn't even heroic according to the wisdom of the world.
I am in the prison of your finiteness, for my love has made me your prisoner.
When the totals of your plans and of your life's experiences do not balance out evenly, I am the unsolved remainder. And I know that this remainder, which makes you so frantic, is in reality my love, that you do not understand.
I am present in your needs. I have suffered them and they are now transformed but not obliterated from my heart....
This reality - incomprehensible wonder of my almighty love - I have sheltered safely in the cold stable of your world. I am there. I no longer go away from this world, even if you do not see me now.... I am there.

It is Christmas. Light the candles. They have more right to exist than all the darkness. It is Christmas. Christmas that lasts forever."

Karl Rahner

 

 

"Wishing you a New Year filled with surprises. Poverty or riches, good health or sickness, joys and sorrows, let us receive all with faith, hope and love, mindfully aware it is all God's gift to us."

 

St. Mary's Cistercian Abbey, Glencairn.

 

Image courtesy of Christmasstockimages.com

Take a moment and light a candle

Take a moment and light a candle

As our friends in the southern hemisphere settle in for a long summer ahead, of summer rain storms, high temperatures and humidity, we in the northern end of the world are seeing shorter days, dropping temperatures and a sense of hibernation approaching. We will soon see the shortest day of the year.

It is also a time when the frenzy of Christmas preparations begins in earnest. Plans are made for family gatherings. Children are frantically finalising letters to Santa. They may well and truly burst with excitement over the next few weeks. Parents take even deeper sighs. A joy underneath it all is getting ready to unleash. One of the most grace-filled times of the year approaches.

Yet, life continues. Loved ones pass away. Illness calls on our doors. Successes are celebrated. Hurdles are overcome. A homeless person sees a sandwich placed on his lap under his downturned eyes. Elsewhere, hard-earned presents are purchased and carefully hidden. Loneliness calls. Surprise homecomings from overseas beckon. Friends call for help. Busy lives make weary. The human experience continues.

In this moment, take a moment, and light a candle. Follow the pace of the flame. Let silence surround you, for a moment. Feel the natural heart-beat of life, today. Take a sacred moment to find your place in it. Catch your breath. Blend it with the silence. Contemplation allows all to unfold naturally. Lean back, just a little, and allow it.