Reflection for December 6

Advent Reflection

One of my favorite [Advent images] comes from the childhood of a Greek peasant during World War II.... One day Alexander discovered a piece of mirror from a crashed German motorcycle. He began to play with it and discovered that he could use it to reflect light into dark holes and crevices. As he grew up, he discovered in it the meaning of his own life, "shining light into dark places." We become those bits of mirror when we approach the dark places of life. The mirror can't do any significant reflective work if it stays too far away from the dark. The image of God in which we are created is meant to be a mirror, reflecting the light of the world into encounters where our connection with the divine is unrecognized.

This Advent, go looking for mirrors. You are more likely to find them in or near places that seem pretty poor and dark and mean. May you find the light of the world and become a reflector yourself. The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, www.episcopalchurch.org/episcopal_life.htm.