Short Reflection
Shedding light on a mystery
What a richness of readings for today!
(Even if some of us heard them only on Sunday.)
As well as the traditional story of the wise men from the East, we have Isaiah’s prophesy and Paul’s theological reflection on the revelation of God’s purpose.
The initial verses of Isaiah 60 are very familiar, especially for those who have heard or sung in Handel’s Messiah, which portrays these texts profoundly.
We’ve used the alternative version of the English text in the Short Reading – “to bring to light” in place of “to make everyone see”, which might convey an element of compulsion – this also appears in the Latin and French versions.
And this bringing to light is what Paul is referring to in the letter to the Ephesians.
The Latin word for mystery is sacramentum. The classic definition of a sacrament, as defined by St Augustine, is “the visible form of an invisible grace”. Thus it isn’t a mystery in the sense that it’s unknowable; rather it can be known.
And this mystery has been revealed to us so that the world may come to know and cherish God’s love for us.
Recent Comments