Bright Spots on a Dark Day
Last Wednesday, on a day when the Church celebrates Christ’s eternal light with the Epiphany, we witnessed a lot of darkness at the U.S. Capitol. There are many layers to those events that will take time and effort for all of us to unpack, and I encourage you to stay well-educated and to “pray without ceasing” in the weeks to come.
In the midst of a dark day, I read a couple of articles that revealed true bright spots, of Epiphany light. I am sharing them here and encourage you to seek them out online at the publication sources. They are two among many.
“How House Chaplain calmed tense hours in besieged Capitol with prayers for ‘God’s covering’” (Religion News Service: religionnews.com): January 6 was only the third day of work for the House of Representatives’ new chaplain. Read how the power of prayer and Scripture brought comfort and strength to those huddled in fear.
“ ‘What Else Could I Do?’ NJ Rep. Kim helps clean up Capitol” (Associated Press, apnews.com): A photo of Andy Kim helping to clean up the Rotunda shed an important light on the faithful staff who showed up in the middle of the night to do their unseen, unappreciated jobs of literally picking up the pieces. When I read this article, I couldn’t help but think of Jesus kneeling down to wash the disciples’ feet, and how he views “success,” even in the grandest halls of the world.
And now, beloved friends, how will YOU shine Epiphany light this week?
all good things to each of you,
Dr. Darian