Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NIV)

After having spent my formative years living in a bucolic village nestled alongside the Hudson River, my credentials as a "smart aleck" are impeccable. According to the accepted stereotypes, we New Yorkers can wisecrack with the best of them.

Often, when someone I have consulted asks me if I have any further questions, my reply has been "What is the meaning of life?" Usually, this elicits a laugh, and a confession that an answer is something beyond their ability to answer.

The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. Matthew 4:16 NIV

Without missing a beat, the doctor said that it would be his pleasure to enlighten me. He told me a story he had heard from one of his professors in medical school, who had immigrated to the United States from Greece after World War II. The professor told of his experience under Nazi control, when he was a child. There was no safe place for children to play, and no toys or games with which to amuse themselves. From a church which had been destroyed during the fighting, the boys found shards of stained glass windows. They would hide in various dark places, and use the sun's reflection on the glass to light the most remote corners.

What the professor learned from his experience was that it is our mission, and our duty, to shine God's light in the darkness.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 NIV

When the pediatrician had finished his story, I realized that through the way we live, it is our obligation to shine God's reflected light into the darkest corners. These places of desolation can be literal or figurative, and the light is always needed and welcome.

Contributed by Carol
Sunday June 8, 2008
Liturgical Year A Week 28
Sunday Gospel reading:
The Holy Trinity