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Embrace the Light

31/12/2024

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, January 5th, 2024:
The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

Isaiah
60.1-6

Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!
For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will appear over you.
Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Lift up your eyes and look around;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.

Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Rise and shine! Look up, and look around! There is glory to behold and joy to be felt.
This passage is a welcome reminder that we can spend a lot of time looking down at our feet, hiding our faces from the light, concerned only with the most immediate stumbling block that life tries to throw at us. We can forget that we live in a world where God became man to save us.

This passage is prophetically describing the impact of Jesus’ birth. The world is covered in darkness, but then, there will be a light so bright that nations and kings will be drawn to it. They will bring gold and frankincense and will proclaim the praise of the Lord. I think this is also what happens when we start living a Christ-centered life. When we are separate from God, it can feel like a thick darkness is over us, where we can not see any further past our own feet. Where we get so concerned with what is in front of us that we forget to look up, to thank and glorify God. But Isaiah tells us how worth it is to live and walk with Christ. Our hearts shall thrill and rejoice! We shall see and be radiant! There shall be abundance and power!

When we step out of the darkness and embrace God, there is a light that radiates from us that others, even those without faith, can see and are drawn to. This light can’t be hidden, and it banishes the darkness from our lives. When we look up and turn our faces to God, we see why we are walking this path in the first place. And there is no better time to start looking up than in the New Year, which is marked by a time when our Lord has come with a renewed brightness to light our path.

Ronnie Noonan-Birch

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Lost and Found

27/12/2024

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A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, December 29th, 2024:
Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

Luke
2.41-52

Every year the parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival.

When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travellers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him.

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them.

Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in favour with God and human beings.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

When I hear the word “lost,” my visceral reaction is panic, fear, and helplessness. I can understand the creation of devices such as Tracker Tags and Sound Identifiers, as we so desperately desire to locate that which is lost and needs to be found. Suitcases, car keys, wallets, and cellphones are frustrating to have in the land of the missing. Yet that is nothing compared to when that which is missing is someone who is loved.

Mary and Joseph lost Jesus on the journey home from the Feast of Passover. I can only imagine the panic, fear, and helplessness they felt upon the realization of that fact. Not only was Jesus their son, He was also the Promised Messiah who would become the ultimate Passover sacrifice, and now He was missing! And so, they travelled the day’s journey back to Jerusalem and began what was ultimately a three-day search before finding Jesus in the temple in earnest conversation with the teachers, both asking and answering questions – the “Word” discussing the Word.

I’d like to pause for a moment for us to consider: “Have we ever lost Jesus?” On the one hand, the answer is absolutely not, because God has promised to never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Jesus’ final words recorded in Matthew 28:19b prior to His ascension are “And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” I believe that truth with all my heart. Yet on our part there may be times when our eyes, time, energy, focus, and love have not been fixed on Jesus. We have lost our first love. The risk and reality of this started even with the beginning of the Christian Church. The early Church in Ephesus was busy doing many things for God, but Jesus told them “Yet, I hold this against you. You have forsaken your first love” (Revelations 2:4). Jesus went on to call the Church, to call us, to recognize and repent.

Like Mary and Joseph, we may not initially recognize the “loss” of Jesus. Thankfully, as believers, we have the gift of Holy Spirit within us, convicting, encouraging, and pointing to Jesus. Upon the realization, may we be like Jesus’ earthly parents and quickly seek Him, desiring to walk in intimacy with our Saviour and our Friend. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 29: 13, 14a).

Jesus is in the “lost and found” business. In fact, He Himself came because of His great love to find that which was lost, namely us, and restore us unto Himself.

Lisa Wing

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Hopeful Expectation

26/12/2024

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A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, December 29th, 2024:
Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

1 John
3.1-2, 21-24

Beloved: See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.

Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever obeys his commandments abides in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

If I were to read only the first line of today’s reading, I would be comforted. I am addressed as “beloved” (which simply means “dearly loved”) and then I am reminded that God loves me so much that He calls me His child. The child part is certainly true. Most days, I feel like a baby Christian who is slowly growing into a toddler. This slow, gentle process sometimes leaves me feeling frustrated. Because although Advent is over, my own personal season of waiting continues.

“…what we will be has not yet been revealed.”

I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up. I know what you’re thinking: Aren’t I supposed to be grown up already? I sort of fell into I.T. (information technology) because I didn’t know what else to do with my math degree and there seemed to be a lot of job prospects in this field. But I never felt called to it. I never felt passionate about it. As I’m taking my first few steps as a toddler Christian, my heart is opened to new possibilities and new ways to use the gifts God has given me. I see friends making new and brave transitions as they follow where Jesus leads them, and I ache to know the plans He has for me. It doesn’t help that while I wait, my current job is full of stress, impossible deadlines, and an often-toxic work environment. During this challenging time, I feel the Lord working in me. I feel Him calling me to a deeper trust in His promises and to a deeper surrender of my life. I am reminded that no step in this journey is wasted.

I recently learned that in the Old Testament the Hebrew word for “wait” is “qavah,” which can also mean to hope or to expect. It’s not meant to be passive; it’s meant to be an active time of nourishment and cultivation as we abide in Him and He in us. He is calling us to pray bold prayers and to wait in hopeful expectation that we will receive from Him whatever we ask.

What I do is not who I am. So even if I don’t know what God is calling me to do, I know who He is calling me to be. He is calling me to be like His son, Jesus, in whatever capacity my humanness allows. I am to believe in Him, to love Him above all else, and to love my neighbour, as this first letter of John tells us. Until all is revealed, I will pray for the grace to own my belovedness and my identity as a child of God.

Lisa Matheson

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Rest in His Courts

25/12/2024

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A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, December 29th, 2024:
Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

Psalm 84

R. Blessed are those who live in your house, O Lord.

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.

R. Blessed are those who live in your house, O Lord.

Blessed are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

R. Blessed are those who live in your house, O Lord.

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed.

R. Blessed are those who live in your house, O Lord.

For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness.

R. Blessed are those who live in your house, O Lord.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Psalm 84 speaks to that deep, almost unexplainable longing we sometimes feel – a yearning for peace, connection, and a place where we truly feel at home. As women, we juggle so much – work, family, friendships, commitments. It can feel like there's little time left for ourselves, let alone for moments of stillness or prayer. Yet Psalm 84 reminds us that, no matter how busy life gets, we all have a deep desire for God’s presence in our lives.

The psalmist calls the place where God dwells “lovely” – and it’s not just a building or a space we visit on Sundays. It’s about finding those moments of quiet and peace, whether in church, at home, or in nature, where we can connect with God. These are the spaces that bring us comfort, renewal, and a sense of belonging.

When we read, “blessed are those who live in your house” (Psalm 84:4), it isn’t about being physically present in church all the time. It’s a reminder that when we take time to centre ourselves in God, we’re allowing His presence to fill us, wherever we are. And when we allow that presence to guide our actions, our thoughts, and our relationships, we bring a little bit of His peace into our busy lives.

The line “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere” (Psalm 84:10) speaks to the simple truth that moments of true connection with God are priceless. Whether it's a few minutes of prayer in the morning, a walk in nature where we feel close to Him, or a conversation with a friend where God’s love is felt, those moments carry weight far beyond anything else. It’s not about doing more, but about being present with Him in the small, everyday things.

As women of faith, we are invited to find God in the ordinary. It doesn’t always look like grand moments of spiritual clarity. Sometimes, it’s in the quiet of a prayer before bed, a comforting word shared with a friend, or a deep breath when life feels overwhelming. Each of these can be a moment where God’s presence meets us, and in those moments, we find what we need to keep going.

Let’s remember that it’s okay to pause, to breathe, and to acknowledge the deep, unspoken longing we have for God’s peace. Because when we make room for that, we become more grounded in our faith and more connected to the love that is always available to us.

Theresa Langley

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Embrace the Light

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, January 5th, 2024:The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

Lost and Found

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, December 29th, 2024:Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

​Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Hopeful Expectation

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, December 29th, 2024:Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Rest in His Courts

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, December 29th, 2024:Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Archives

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, January 5th, 2024:
The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, December 29th, 2024:
Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, December 29th, 2024:
Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, December 29th, 2024:
Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph