"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
     Romans 8:38-39

"Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
     II Corinthians 5:17

Nothing is more central to the Christian gospel than the message that God loves us. Yet, sometimes we lose confidence in that love, become entangled in our fears, and behave in ways that belie the miracle of our salvation. In the act of confession, we lay our human frailties and failures at the feet of our Lord and receive the blessing of His forgiveness and cleansing. We need not remind ourselves of the horror or heaviness of our burdens, nor take them up again. Rather, we ought to celebrate that God has lifted them from our shoulders, and rise up with grace, dignity, and equanimity. For in that moment, the darkness of our old life falls away with the dawn, and only its loveliness lingers. In the eyes of the Master, what remains are merely the reflections of His being -- the goodness in our intentions, the nobility in our struggles, and the courage in our efforts. His love is broad enough to embrace our full humanity, not with aversion, but with the utmost empathy and tenderness. It is deep enough to penetrate through the veiled layers to our inner self, where His light still shines.

The Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, in a little volume called Gitanjali, offers this poignant image of God's compassion for us and our human condition:

"Thy sunbeam comes upon this earth of mine with arm outstretched
And stands at my door the livelong day to carry back to thy feet
Clouds made of my tears and sighs and songs.
With fond delight thou wrappest about thy starry breast
That mantle of misty cloud, turning it into numberless shapes and folds
And colouring it with hues everchanging.
It is so light and so fleeting, tender and tearful and dark,
And that is why thou lovest it, O Thou spotless and serene.
And that is why it may cover thy awful white light with its pathetic shadow."

From our perspective, sometimes our "pathetic shadow" may hide God's magnificent light for a time, but He always reaches down and touches our lives with His loving care, restoring their beauty once more.

Dear Lord, as we journey through this valley of "tears and sighs and songs," may we understand how all encompassing and steadfast is Thy devotion to us. May we remember that we are a people sculpted of Thine own essence, infused with Thy very breath, and redeemed through Thy transforming power. And may we rest secure in the knowledge that nothing can ever sever us from Thine ineffable love. AMEN

Contributed by Diane S.
Published Monday January 20, 2003
Week 8 of Liturgical Year B