Christianity is Enlightenment
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
by Fr. David M. Knight
View readings for 1st Tuesday of Advent: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings
Lectionary no. 176 (Is 11: 1-10; Ps 72: 1, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Lk 10: 21-24)
I give you praise, Father… for although you have hidden these things from the wise and learned you have revealed them to the childlike… Luke 10:21
When tourists visiting Carlsbad Caverns are deep into the cave, the guide turns off all the lights. She says, “I want you to experience what utter darkness is—perhaps for the first time in your life.”
For me it was. No stars, no distant streetlights, no ambient light at all. Utter darkness.
For those without the divine light of faith, this is what the mysteries of Christianity are: utter darkness. No amount of intelligence or education makes them intelligible. We simply cannot know Jesus Christ. We cannot know God as Father (Galatians 4:6, 1Corinthians 12:3). We cannot “know that we have eternal life” (1John 5:13; John 17:3).
We can see what happens at Baptism and Mass, but we cannot understand or experience it.
Faith is the power, not just to believe, but to see.
Many, of course, who call themselves unbelievers have the gift of faith without knowing it. We call them “anonymous Christians.” They sometimes put believers to shame.
The advantage of being Christian is that we know - and know that we know.
DAILY PRACTICE: Count mysteries. Be aware of what your faith adds to things you see and say every day. Join light to sight.
ADVENT PRAYER: Lord, you are the fountain of life; in your light let me see light. (Psalm 36:9).
Reflections brought to you by the Immersed in Christ Ministry
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