"There is nothing I can give you which you have not got; but there is much, very much, that, while I cannot give it, you can take. No Heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it to-day. Take Heaven! No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present little instant. Take peace!
The gloom of the world is but a shadow.
Behind it, yet within our reach, is joy. There is radiance and glory in
the darkness, could we but see; and to see, we have only to look.
Contessina I beseech you to look.
Life is so generous a giver,
but we, judging its gifts by their covering, cast them away as ugly or
heavy or hard. Remove the covering, and you will find beneath it a
living splendour, woven of love, by wisdom, with power. Welcome it,
grasp it, and you touch the Angel’s hand that brings it to you.
Everything we call a trial, a sorrow, or a duty: believe me, that
angel’s hand is there; the gift is there, and the wonder of an
overshadowing Presence. Our joys, too: be not content with them as joys,
they too conceal diviner gifts.
Life is so full of meaning and
of purpose, so full of beauty—beneath its covering—that you will find
that earth but cloaks your heaven. Courage, then to claim it: that is
all! But courage you have; and the knowledge that we are pilgrims
together, wending through unknown country, home.
And so, at
this Christmas time, I greet you; not quite as the world sends
greetings, but with profound esteem, and with the prayer that for you,
now and forever, the day breaks and the shadows flee away."
Hi Mary- have finally found the text from a study I was doing before Christmas - it puts your choice of name into wonderful perspective!
ReplyDeleteRik x
Joy! to Your World! A Countdown to Christmas
Day 20 of 25
The star led the Magi to the Light of the World! The wise men did not need the advice or navigation powers of King Herod and his best men - they just needed to follow the Light of the World.
When the star stopped them in their wealthy tracks, the Bible says that these learned men, “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy”. And what a celebration began that night! Only 6 words: “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” yet what richness their scarcity holds. These six simple words are some of the most expressive words in all of Scripture.
“Rejoiced” means “let the hope of future blessedness give you joy!” What rich intent and calling! This word communicates to all of us, from every generation and every historical juncture, that because of the Baby born in the manger, we can look ahead - not with dread and worry, but with hope and expectation. When you encounter Jesus, there is reason to rejoice because of the many blessings headed in your direction.
“Exceedingly” is defined as “greatly” or even “violently”. These first century professorial types did not just quietly bow down with their scholarly hands clasped in front of their wise faces. The joy that they experienced in the presence of Jesus was an explosion of joy that knocked their mortarboards off their wizened heads! These men were jumping up and down ... they were participating in the John-jump! The magi had at last found a reason to celebrate because they had found the source of joy.
“Great” in this sentence means “with great effort of the affections and emotions of the mind”. It is significant that this particular definition of the word “great” includes the word for “mind”. The Magi were men of scrolls and cerebral intensity; at the moment this star stopped in the presence of Jesus, all that they had ever learned or studied paled in comparison to this one momentous event. Being in the presence of the Creator of the Universe was such a life-changing opportunity that it infiltrated the very way that they thought and processed information.
And finally, the word “joy” is rich in meaning and in texture because it is defined as “the blessedness that the Lord enjoys”. Every blessing that the Lord has ... you now have ... because of Christmas!