I CONFESS to being a fan of Sinead O’Connor.
An immensely talented and gifted woman, whose vulnerability and brokeness is honest and real. In recent months, I was saddened to hear of how she wanted a new relationship and, via Twitter, believed she could find the perfect partner. It resulted in a marriage that lasted just 17 days.
Her statement announcing its ending seemed like it was from a soul lost in the shadows of upset, who was uneasy and deeply fragile.
Most folk don’t wear their hearts on their sleeves, nor enter into such drastic statements of desperation.
But the shadows of vulnerability are part of the human condition. For this reason, hope and light are relevant gifts that come from the Christian faith.
These days, we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. This significant celebration traditionally marks the end of our Christmas season, and I’m sure as the month of January continues to move, we have once again returned to the familiar and the routine.
The Epiphany tells the story of a group of people who were searching for meaning and purpose in life.
They looked beyond conventional religion. In fact, their search was fuelled by a puzzling star that shone brightly over an unknown village and an even more insignificant stable in its surrounding countryside. This bright star revealed the beginnings of our Christian story, the birthplace of the infant Jesus.
This bright star announced a new time, an opportunity for new beginnings and an invitation for all people to be filled with new life, joy and peace. For this reason, the message of the Epiphany is a lasting one, throughout the whole year. We are all invited to discover Christ in the familiar and routine places that is our daily lives.
Those who discovered this wonderful moment of joy and peace knew that things would never be the same again.
They were told in a dream “Go home a different way”. In the same way, when we have a real moment of encounter, our lives are changed for the better.
In difficult times, I was greatly heartened by the generosity of those who gave to the Christmas St Vincent de Paul collection. In a time when so many are searching for new opportunity and possibility, the Christian message of light and hope continues to be relevant.
Our lives can never be the same again. We are on the verge of a new springtime. Our hope comes from the great wealth discovered in a place of poverty and isolation.
It is in the midst of poverty and vulnerability that Jesus Christ wants to nourish and sustain us. We are all longing for the bright stars’ revelation.
Our pathway is given direction by the person of Jesus Christ, who himself has walked our valleys and hills and has felt its hopes and burdens.
Already, these days already are getting that little bit longer, the new light is getting brighter and slowly dispelling the winter darkness.
New Year brings new opportunity. As we face the challenges of our time, may we be confident that our God is with us. May his light and peace allow us to know “All will be well”.