Look For The Gentle Light!

I’ve always loved the beginning words from the first reading of the Midnight Mass, The people who
walked in darkness have seen a great light. But this year they have acquired a new meaning. I have come to understand that for those who are in darkness, a small gentle light is a great light. In fact, a great big light would blind us. This is why Jesus came as a gentle, humble, and loving light, ready to warm our hearts without overwhelming us. As St Bernard wrote, He wanted to be our brother before becoming our Savior, one with us even in the humble fragility of our flesh!

I need to remember to look for his gentle light ever present, even during the darkest hours, because his light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (Jn. 1:5). In its apparent weakness and vulnerability, his light will never die out, because it’s fed by the love of the Father and the Holy Spirit. Christ, our sweet hope, let your light shine on us, reenkindle your light and life within us so that we can bring your warmth to our world. Can't you see it already happening? Look for his gentle light, right there in your heart, and let it shine!

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Friends on Earth and in Heaven

Our Cistercian Fathers like speaking about the benefits and sweetness of spiritual friendship. Often, they refer to Jesus’ friendship with Martha, Mary, and Lazarus of Bethany—the saints we celebrate today. They say that Jesus’ earthly friendships sanctified friendship itself and made it a form of preparation for encountering and welcoming the Lord. How? Saint Aelred explains the process in greater detail in his book on Spiritual Friendship . He gets practical, as monastic writers usually like to do, and offers ways to discern and form good friendships. In an earlier work, The Mirror of Charity , Aelred explains briefly one of the great benefits of friendship: my friend’s soul and good heart give me extra space to welcome the presence of God. In my friend, I can possess graces that would be a bit too much for me on my own. This would be part of the joy in heaven, don’t you think? There, our capacity to receive God’s love, beauty, truth, and goodness would be increased tremendously as

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The Monastic Approach

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