Fourth Monday of Advent

Gospel: Lk 1:57-66

In today’s reading, we hear about the birth of John the Baptist and the miracles that followed. The reading closes with the witnesses to his birth asking “‘What, then, will this child be?’ For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.”

This reading perfectly aligns with the theme of CTA’s advent reflections: Hold onto your light. It is not just John the Baptist who had the hand of the Lord with him — by our very existence, we know that the Lord is with us. 

If we are to move from surviving to thriving in a country and world that can seem increasingly violent, destructive, and hateful, we need to remember the humanity that lives within all of us. We are called to love thy neighbor, but what about ourselves?

If we are to hold onto our light, we need to remember where that light came from: the Lord. It reminds me of a powerful reflection from St. Augustine of Hippo: “I traveled far from myself, Lord, but you remained within me.”

God’s future and vision for us are limitless. It is the fallibility of man, from our structures and systems to the loathing we can feel for ourselves, that holds us back. God put a light inside all of us. It can be easy to forget or ignore it — sometimes the darkness can feel so much stronger than the light.

But we must hold onto our light and remember who gave it to us. For the hand of the Lord is with us and within us at all times.

Emily Harrison is a CTA Vision Council member.