Something new is forming. No shape, no hands
or eyes, no recognizable face or contour…
nothing familiar or attractive…and yet —
something new is forming.

In these Christmas days, filled for many
with shopping and parties and dinner
and drinking — filled with chaos, really —
the chaos of repetitive and mindless
expectation, of selfish spending and —
not realizing what is being
celebrated at all —

Light still comes into the world,
unaffected by anything we do, or destroy,
or lose or lament — Light still
comes into the world —
even when any one of us is lost in the dark
for awhile or forever — Light still
comes into the world.

Too soon yet. Too soon to see the shape
of what is emerging, what Light is making—
the Spirit that blows where it wills,
and no one knows where it comes from or
where it is going — that Light always, always,
coming into the world.

Looking for that Light opens faint pathways
in the dark.

By Brenda Peddigrew, RSM. Used with permission.

Contemplative reflection                                                            

  • What are the words, phrases, or images from “Light Still Comes” that touch into who I am this Advent?
  • Am I being called to be a light in my family, in my workplace, in my community or church, in a particular relationship/situation?
  • How can I be more mindful to live interculturality, to be light to “the other” on the peripheries, or to care for and respect our common home during this Advent season?
  • During Advent, we light the candles on our wreaths.  Do I need the Spirit to blow in a particular area of my life at this time?