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Eucharist in the Time of Corona
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December 23, 2021The nights are long this time of year. We find ourselves beginning the day in darkness, and darkness at the end of the day comes all too soon. We long for more light and the warmth that it brings. We also live in the darkness of a pandemic, with all of the sickness, death and fear that it brings. We also live in the darkness of polarization, bigotry and hatred. We are all so tired of it that we add to the darkness with short tempers and bad moods. It can be dangerously tempting to give up, to surrender to cynicism, despair, and loss of meaning.We long for sudden epiphany, a blinding light to bring an end to the darkness. But like the Magi, we must trust and follow the glimmers of light that we see. In the darkest areas of the world, people have long celebrated the solstice, which happens at the very depth of darkness. It marks only the beginning of the slow process of the light returning, but one that people have learned to trust.Let us celebrate this Epiphany season with that same trust. Our liturgies this time of year remind us that the Light is there, even when all we see are glimpses. The smile on the face of a child, the love of a family, the comfort of friendship are all glimpses of the Light that will lead us.