I apologise for the brevity of today’s message, but I know you will understand. The journey door to door, including long car rides both ends, waiting at airports and changing planes in Paris, takes around 24 hours, so I spent part of Thursday resting, reading, chatting with the brethren, as well as meeting with the officials of the television company that’s going to film the Profession of Br Miguel this coming Tuesday. Then there were emails and messages from home, some urgent, some not, and a long conversation with my mother on FaceTime. It was also a great joy to speak with a dear friend just before lunch. It’s really warm here still, as it’s coming to the end of Summer, so sleep is easiest just lying on top of the bed. In England the days are lengthening, but here near Lima it remains roughly 12 hours of day and 12 of night. Our Gospel today continues with the Discourse on the Bread of Life, (Jn 6: 33-39). His hearers begin to argue amongst themselves about what Jesus has just said. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” To this Jesus replies, “If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you.” His words are clear, indeed as clear as can be, and he is not speaking figuratively. He says what he means and he means what he says. He goes onto say, “Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day.” So our resurrection on the last day is dependent on our eating his flesh and drinking his blood. He emphasises this point by saying, “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him.” So again, we can only live in Christ and he live in us if we eat and drink his flesh and blood. He goes on to say that this is the way in which we draw life from him, as he draws life from the Father. Those who ate manna in the desert died, but those who eat of this bread, feed on him and draw life from him. They will live for ever, as he lives for ever in the Father. Eternal life, then, is bound up with feeding on Christ, the Bread of Life.
​I wrote this at Belmont before leaving for Peru, as I thought it might be a bit complicated, what with a six-hour time change and having to cope with many differences in timetable and flying all day, to get a message written and sent for today. I am presuming on God’s mercy that all has gone well and that tomorrow you will receive something fresh from the horse’s mouth! At least the weather here is stable and warm, a constant 25C during the day and sunny. Today we continue our reading of the Discourse on the Bread of Life in the Gospel of John, (Jn 6: 44-51). Jesus is speaking with the crowds at Capernaum following the miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish the previous day. John calls the few miracles he describes in detail in his Gospel signs, for they point clearly to the divinity of Jesus, that he is truly the Messiah and Son of God. He has told the people that he is the Bread of Life, sent down from heaven by the Father to give life to the world, by which he means those who accept him and believe in him. He continues by saying: “No one can come to me​​​​​​​​ unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me, and I will raise him up at the last day.” Everything must be done according to God’s will, and his will is that all should be saved and come to eternal life, that no one should be lost. So it is God himself who leads us to his Son, that we might come to the knowledge of the truth. ​​​ ​ “It is written in the prophets: They will all be taught by God, and to hear the teaching of the Father, and learn from it, is to come to me. Not that anybody has seen the Father, except the one who comes from God: he has seen the Father.” The word of Jesus is God’s word and his revelation is God’s teaching. Only Jesus who has come down from heaven and has been sent by the Father knows God fully and the mind of God. This knowledge he shares with those who come to him. He feeds them spiritually, for eternal life is to know and love God. He continues: ​​​​“I tell you most solemnly, everybody who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the desert and they are dead; ​​​​​ but this is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that a man may eat it and not die. I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.” Jesus is the living bread of life, and to know him and believe in him is to have eternal life, for his life, God’s life, will be in us. Until the very last verse we read today, it all seems very simple and easy to follow, even for his listeners. They ask no questions. The word bread is not being used literally, but figuratively. Then in that last verse Jesus goes a step further when he says, “the bread I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.” We are used to worship and liturgy centred on the Eucharist, the Mass, but this is not the case with his listeners, the crowd fed when he multiplied the loaves and fish. They will fail to understand, and express shock, disgust even, at his words. Not only is this bread on which he will feed them his flesh, but he is also giving it for the life, the salvation of the world. Trouble is in store, as we shall find out tomorrow.
As you read this message, I will probably be snoozing on the plane flying me down from Paris to Lima or, if you’re an early bird, from Birmingham to Paris. I ask for your prayers as I visit our brethren at the monastery in Lurin, less than an hour south of Lima. I will endeavour to keep in touch each day and share with you some of the things I’ll be doing, including on 23rd April, the First Profession of Br Miguel Rimarachin, whom some of you might have met at Belmont recently. Needless to say, I will be keeping you all in my prayers. When I pray for people I know, I invariably see their faces before me. For others, I usually see the image of a saint or an angel. Our Gospel reading from John, (Jn 6: 35-40), is the continuation of yesterday’s passage, the famous Discourse on the Bread of Life. We begin where we left off, with Jesus saying to the crowd: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never hunger; he who believes in me will never thirst.” Jesus is struck by the fact that, although they can see him and have seen the works he does, yet they still fail to believe in him and ask for further signs. ​ ​​ “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I shall not turn him away; because I have come from heaven, not to do my own will, but to do the will of the one who sent me.” Jesus talks of his relationship with the Father and of how he has come from God in order to do the Father’s will, that none of those given to him should be lost. In fact, whoever comes to him will not be turned away. Not only will no one who comes to him be turned away, but he will raise them up on the last day. This is what he means when he says that he is the bread of life, who takes hunger and thirst away from those who come to him and believe in him. ​ “Now the will of him who sent me is that I should lose nothing of all that he has given to me, and that I should raise it up on the last day. Yes, it is my Father’s will that whoever sees the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and that I shall raise him up on the last day.” To be raised up on the last day is the final stage of eternal life. God’s deepest desire is that each one of his sons and daughters should have eternal life, but that life comes through seeing and knowing the Son and believing in him. That is the very touchstone of salvation and receiving the gift of eternal life, God’s own life, that begins not with death but at the very moment when we come to know and love Jesus as Son of God, for he is the Bread of Life who gives life to the world. The discourse will continue tomorrow and we look forward to that.
​It was a busy but most enjoyable weekend and we are well into the new week. The weather is as changeable as it’s unpredictable and you can experience all four seasons in the course of a single day. Tomorrow, I will be travelling to Peru to accompany the brethren there on my last official visit as Abbot. I am hoping that in future, if I get the opportunity to go out there again, a country and a people that have played such an important part in my life, I will be able to visit old friends in northern Peru, where I lived and served for twenty years, rather than just stay at the monastery, in other words, a real holiday such as I have never had before in Peru. ​In today’s Gospel, we continue our reading of Jesus’ explanation of the meaning of the miracle or sign of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fish, (Jn 6: 30-35). “The people said to Jesus, ‘What sign will you give to show us that we should believe in you? What work will you do? Our fathers had manna to eat in the desert; as scripture says: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Odd that the people should ask for a sign when they have recently been fed in a deserted place with a meal made of five barley loaves and two fish. Was that not sign enough for them to believe in the works of Jesus? Why, indeed, were they following him, if not because of the signs he had already given them? Was the miracle in which they participated not similar to the feeding of the Hebrew people with manna in the desert during the Exodus? Jesus replies, “I tell you most solemnly, it was not Moses who gave you bread from heaven, it is my Father who gives you the bread from heaven, the true bread; for the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Jesus is moving the discourse onto another plane. It is not Moses, but God who feeds his people with bread from heaven, the true bread, God’s own bread, and this bread alone, that comes down from heaven, can give life to the world. When they hear this, they ask, “Sir, give us this bread always.” The reply that Jesus gives comes as a surprise, a shock even, for he says: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst.” They could not have expected him to say that he himself was that bread, the bread of life, and that we need to come to him and believe in him if we are not to hunger and thirst. We note here one of the many I AM sayings of Jesus in John’s Gospel, I AM being God’s name revealed to Moses at the Burning Bush. The discourse has moved to a spiritual level. Can his hearers understand what he is saying? How will they react? Our story continues tomorrow, but what do we make of this?
​On Friday, we read John’s version of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish. Today we begin the Discourse on the Bread of Life, which follows on from the miracle and in which Jesus explains its significance. We find ourselves at John 6, vv. 22-29. After the miracle, the disciples left by boat for Capernaum and, during a storm, Jesus appeared to them walking on the water. That is the Gospel passage we read on Saturday. This has left the crowds confused, as we shall see. John writes: “After Jesus had fed the five thousand, his disciples saw him walking on the water. Next day, the crowd that had stayed on the other side saw that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that the disciples had set off by themselves. Other boats, however, had put in from Tiberias, near the place where the bread had been eaten. When the people saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into those boats and crossed to Capernaum to look for Jesus.” The following day, then, the crowds go in search of Jesus. By this stage in his ministry, everyone knows that he uses Capernaum as his base. Why is it that they chase after Jesus so? Because he fed them when they were hungry, because they want to see further miracles or to hear what he has to say? Possibly it was a combination of all three. Did they seriously want to become his disciples or were most of them simply curious to see what he would do next? It was probably all those reasons combined. I suppose it would be a bit like asking the crowds that normally gather in St Peter’s Square for a Papal Mass or Audience, “Why are you here?” ​Although they hoped to find Jesus in Capernaum, they are also surprised when they see him. “When they found him on the other side, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’” The answer they receive from Jesus is probably not the one they expected. He begins, “I tell you most solemnly” and then goes on. “You are not looking for me because you have seen the signs but because you had all the bread you wanted to eat. Do not work for food that cannot last, but work for food that endures to eternal life, the kind of food the Son of Man is offering you, for on him the Father, God himself, has set his seal.” With these few lines, Jesus begins to introduce the crowd to what he has to say concerning “the food that endures to eternal life.” The miracles he performs are signs that point to a deeper meaning that has eternity in mind. If you’re following me just for the now, just for the food I gave you on one occasion, then go no further: that is not why I am here. If you cannot recognise me to be the Son of Man, whom God the Father has sent and on whom he has set his seal, then you are working for the bread that does not last. They have the humility to ask him what they should do. “Then they said to him, ‘What must we do if we are to do the works that God wants?’ Jesus gave them this answer, ‘This is working for God: you must believe in the one he has sent.’” What must we do? That is the question we must ask the Lord each day. What must I do today to do the work the Father wants? What must I do to be saved? Every day Jesus replies, “You must believe in the one the Father has sent; you must believe in me.” And what does believe mean? No less than to have faith, to trust, and to live in Christ. Lord, help me to do just that, today and always. Amen.
​It was a great joy for me yesterday to have breakfast with a dear friend near Leominster and, later in the day, lunch with close friends at Bromyard and to enjoy a walk around their spectacular garden. The recent loss of my dear dog Toby has made me appreciate all the more and thank God for the support of friends as well as many parishioners and readers of this daily message. How can I thank you all for your prayers, kind words and expressions of love and understanding? May the risen Christ shine on your hearts and fill them with his grace and tender lovingkindness. ​Today’s Gospel Passage from Luke, (Lk 24: 35-48), recounts the meeting between Jesus and his disciples following on from his encounter with Cleopas and his companion on the road to Emmaus. “The disciples told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised Jesus at the breaking of bread. They were still talking about all this when Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you!’ In a state of alarm and fright, they thought they were seeing a ghost. But he said, ‘Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts rising in your hearts? Look at my hands and feet; yes, it is I indeed. Touch me and see for yourselves; a ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.’ And as he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. Their joy was so great that they still could not believe it, and they stood there dumbfounded; so he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ And they offered him a piece of grilled fish, which he took and ate before their eyes.” This resurrection appearance reminds us in part of John 20, where Jesus appears to his disciples in the upper room where they are gathered on the night of that first day of the week, the occasion on which Thomas is absent. There Jesus breathes on his disciples and gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit with the power to forgive or retain sins. That appearance results in the declaration of Thomas that he refuses to believe unless he can see Jesus and touch his wounds. In Luke all the disciples seem to doubt, probably because they’re so excited about seeing him. In fact, they think he is a ghost and he has to eat something before their eyes to make it quite clear that he is indeed flesh and bone. ​Jesus then goes on to “open their minds to understand the scriptures”, just as he had done with the two on the road to Emmaus. “’This is what I meant when I said, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms has to be fulfilled.’ He then opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, ‘So you see how it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this.’” He emphasises that what they are seeing is the fulfilment of all three sections of the Hebrew scriptures, the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms, or Wisdom literature. The Old Testament, as we call it, in its entirety points to him, the Son of God incarnate, the Messiah, the Christ they can see before their eyes and is risen from the dead. They, in fact, are his witnesses, whom he is now sending throughout the world to preach repentance for the forgiveness of sin. They are to do this in his name. They are given their mission by the risen Christ and told what they must do. Luke is now preparing the reader for his second book, the Acts of the Apostles. ​We talk blithely about our faith being based on the resurrection of Jesus, but what do we really believe? The disciples were there and saw it all; they were witnesses to every moment and every detail and yet, to start with, they doubted. But for each one of them, there came a moment of light and of understanding and from that moment, they believed and were prepared to die for their faith in Jesus. Our faith rests on their testimony, but there must also be a personal element, a personal encounter with Jesus our risen Lord on our road to Emmaus. It’s good to look over our lives and to remember when we first met Jesus and believed. You could think of St Paul on the road to Damascus.
​It was a great joy to welcome the Lord-Lieutenant, Mr Edward Harley CBE and Mrs Harley to Belmont yesterday afternoon, as one of our parishioners, Louise Wright, was presented with her British Empire Medal (BEM) on behalf of King Charles. It was a beautiful ceremony and the abbey church was packed with dignitaries, family, friends and parishioners. We congratulate Louise who, supported by her husband Andrew, has done so much to foster business and countless charitable enterprises from her early youth until now locally in Herefordshire and beyond. May the Lord also bless her with good health as she recovers from major surgery and chemotherapy. ​Today’s Gospel passage from John, (Jn 6: 15-21), follows on from the Multiplication of Loaves and Fish that we read yesterday. Jesus, as we know, fled further up the mountain at the reaction of the crowd, whilst the disciples headed for Capernaum. We read, “In the evening the disciples went down to the shore of the lake and got into a boat to make for Capernaum on the other side of the lake. It was getting dark by now and Jesus had still not rejoined them.” We can wonder why it is they set out for Capernaum without Jesus. Still, they were probably keen to get back home and the trip wouldn’t take that long. A typical image in John is that of darkness or night when Jesus is not with his disciples. Nevertheless, they set off, only to find the wind getting stronger and the sea becoming rough. It is then that they see Jesus. “They had rowed three or four miles when they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming towards the boat. This frightened them, but he said, ‘It is I. Do not be afraid.’ They were for taking him into the boat, but in no time, it reached the shore at the place they were making for.” If it’s dark and the sea is rough, how do they manage to see Jesus and recognise him? This reminds us of the Exodus and of how the Hebrew people were guided across the desert towards the Promised Land, “a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.” He is walking towards the boat and, sensing their fear, says, “It is I.” Again, this reminds us of the name revealed by God to Moses at the Burning Bush, “I am who I am.” In the Old Testament, it is also God who constantly tells his people, “Do not be afraid. Fear not.” Even before they come to a decision on whether to take Jesus on board or not, they reach the place they are making for. They must have been amazed at what had happened that night. I wonder how we would have coped, had we been one of the disciples. ​Lord, even when the going gets tough and we are afraid, be with us on our life’s journey and keep us safe from all harm. Lead us to our final destination to be with you for ever in the kingdom of heaven. Amen.
​Today’s Gospel passage is John’s version of the Feeding of the Five Thousand, (Jn 6: 1-15). It begins, “Jesus went off to the other side of the Sea of Galilee – or of Tiberias – and a large crowd followed him, impressed by the signs he gave by curing the sick. Jesus climbed the hillside, and sat down there with his disciples. It was shortly before the Jewish feast of Passover.” By this stage of his ministry, large crowds seem to follow him everywhere and it is to this deserted hillside that they follow him now. In John’s version of this miracle or sign, there are a number of interesting details. “Looking up, Jesus saw the crowds approaching and said to Philip, ‘Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?’ He only said this to test Philip; he himself knew exactly what he was going to do. Philip answered, ‘Two hundred denarii would only buy enough to give them a small piece each.’” In John, the disciples might not know or understand what Jesus has in mind to do, but Jesus is always in control of the situation. He tests his disciples, in this case Philip. Where would they buy bread for so many in a place like this? There were times when grain was short and no bread available, There were no supermarkets or corner shops in Jesus’ day. When we think of the five loaves and two fish, we invariably think of the small boy who came forward and offered them to Jesus. Only in John do we find this moving detail. I wonder what his name was. “One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, ‘There is a small boy here with five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that between so many?’” Rather like the widow who put her mite, all she had, into the Temple collection box, Jesus appreciates and works wonders with this small boy’s gift. He invites us to follow their example and not to be ashamed of the smallness of our gifts to him or to our neighbour. It is the thought and the sacrifice that counts. God will do the rest. ​“Jesus said to them, ‘Make the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass there, and as many as five thousand men sat down. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them out to all who were sitting ready; he then did the same with the fish, giving out as much as was wanted.” The miracles are like parables: there’s a touch of exaggeration to focus on what is truly important. They tell us who Jesus is. Was this the only lad who had brought food with him? Surely there were others. What about the men? And were there no women? If the men alone counted about five thousand, how many people were there altogether? We can hazard a guess, but we’ll never know. What we do know is that they were all fed by Jesus, who took the bread, gave thanks and then distributed it. The words are eucharistic and, in John, this miracle will lead to the discourse on the Bread of Life. So precious is God’s gift to us in Jesus, that nothing must be lost or thrown away. “When they had eaten enough, he said to the disciples, ‘Pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing gets wasted.’ So they picked them up, and filled twelve hampers with scraps left over from the meal of five barley loaves.” If the scraps alone can fill twelve hampers, then we can imagine the abundance of food derived from the boy’s offering of five loaves and two fish. No indication is given as to what was done with the scraps. No doubt they were treasured and eaten later. They also serve to show just how generous God is, he who so loved the world as to give his only Son that whoever believes in him should not be lost but have eternal life. ​What is the reaction of the crowd? “The people, seeing this sign that he had given, said, ‘This really is the prophet who is to come into the world.’ Jesus, who could see they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, escaped back to the hills by himself.” The prophet would be the Messiah promised from of old and for these people at this time, it would be a political messiah that they were hoping for, hence the suggestion that they are planning to take Jesus by force and make him king. Jesus has to escape and goes off alone further into the hills. Today’s gospel passage beggars the question, “What sort of messiah do I want Jesus to be?” A difficult one to leave you with.
​One the most interesting and enigmatic figures of the New Testament is, without doubt, John the Baptist. He’s also one of the most attractive, if eccentric. After the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, that we have been reading this week, John moves on to recount a conversation between John the Baptist and his disciples. You will remember that he had denied that he was the Messiah, when leading priests and Levites went out from Jerusalem to question him. He told them that he was, “a voice crying in the wilderness,’ Prepare a way for the Lord.’” Now in conversation with his own disciples, he says the same thing, but also compares himself with the bridegroom’s friend, Jesus, the Messiah, being the bridegroom and his bride, the Church. In verses 28 to 30 of chapter 3 he says to his disciples, “I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him. The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.” Today we read what follows of that conversation in John, (Jn 3: 31-36). “John the Baptist said to his disciples: ‘He who comes from above is above all others; he who is born of the earth is earthly himself and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven bears witness to the things he has seen and heard, even if his testimony is not accepted; though all who do accept his testimony are attesting the truthfulness of God, since he whom God has sent speaks God’s own words: God gives him the Spirit without reserve. The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything to him. Anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life, but anyone who refuses to believe in the Son will never see life: the anger of God stays on him.’” What I find fascinating is that these could be the words of Jesus himself speaking to his own disciples. However, they form part of the Baptist’s testimony of Jesus, that he has come down from heaven and bears witness to what he has seen and heard from his heavenly Father, the truthfulness of God. That he possesses the fulness of the Holy Spirit and speaks God’s own word to his people, a word that brings salvation and eternal life. He repeats what Jesus said to Nicodemus, that whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. These are powerful words of John the Baptist. ​However, the question that confronts us today is whether we accept the testimony of John the Baptist or, indeed, of Jesus himself. Can we step out in faith as did the first disciples? And what would we be prepared to do for that faith, bearing in mind that those first disciples, starting with John the Baptist all died a martyr’s death? Lord, show me what is lacking in my faith and grant me the grace to do something about it. Amen.
​Yesterday the day began wet and cold. I still take an early morning walk, following Toby’s preferred route. The robins and the blackbirds must be wondering why I’m walking alone. They used to love teasing Toby, chasing him and swooping down on him in mock attack. Then at 9 o’clock, when I went on the playing field to meet with his friends, both human and canine, I decided to take one of his footballs. It was as though he were still with me, though unseen. At least, I got some exercise. Then I drove home to my mother’s, where it was excessively windy, though the sun was shining. The house seemed empty without him. My mum has been particularly affected by his death. I decided against a visit to the beach, but we had a wonderful video call from friends on holiday in Greece, from a yacht in the Mediterranean, where Toby was remembered. What a difference that made: it brought joy to our hearts, as do all the many cards, emails and messages still coming in. Thank you so much; may the good Lord reward you. God is good and there are beacons of light everywhere, all signs of the Resurrection and of the hope that faith in our Risen Lord radiates in our hearts. ​Today’s Gospel reading, (Jn 3: 16-21), carries on from what we read yesterday, that quite extraordinary conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, the Pharisee who came to see Jesus by night. It begins with one of the most well-known and comforting sayings of Jesus. “Jesus said to Nicodemus: ‘God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.” This is the most profound statement of God’s love for us. Jesus is the proof and deepest expression of God’s love. St Paul tells us in Romans 8: 31-39 that, ”Nothing can separate us from the love of God made manifest in his Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” God does not condemn us but wants only our salvation. While this is true, nevertheless we can reject God’s gift of salvation and love in Jesus, which is why Jesus goes on to say. “No one who believes in him will be condemned; but whoever refuses to believe is condemned already, because he has refused to believe in the name of God’s only Son.” In other words, we condemn ourselves by refusing to believe. God leaves us free to accept or reject him. This is all part of the mystery of God’s plan for creation, that we have been created with free will and are free to say yes or no to God. He doesn’t force himself on us. Jesus then moves on to see this acceptance and rejection in terms of light and darkness. “On these grounds is sentence pronounced: that though the light has come into the world men have shown they prefer darkness to the light because their deeds were evil. And indeed, everybody who does wrong hates the light and avoids it, for fear his actions should be exposed; but the man who lives by the truth comes out into the light, so that it may be plainly seen that what he does is done in God.” These words of Jesus remind us of the Prologue to John’s Gospel, that the Word made flesh is a light that shines in the darkness, a light that can neither be overcome nor understood. Nevertheless, we often choose darkness rather than light, evil and sin rather than goodness and life, in other words we reject rather than accept Jesus. We also remember that Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” These three go together and cannot be separated. We cannot pick and choose! Let us pray for the grace to live by the truth and walk in the light, today and always. Amen.