Daily Reflections ...

Every year I have a theme and 2023 is the year of the sunflower. I am seeking to turn my face to Christ the way a sunflower turns towards the sun and ‘simply behold the beloved’. Lectio Divina, divine reading of Scripture, has been a part of my daily practice for many years and now I’m learning something new. Visio Divina, divine seeing, uses images to turn the heart towards God.  I’m discovering ways to see Christ, the word who formed the universe, in all the beauty of creation everywhere I go.

As I have journeyed with this, I have found myself challenged to expand my view of the places I can see Christ.  In the dishes that need to be washed, my children, and myself.  To look in the mirror and see the Beloved is sometimes the hardest seeing of all.

Today’s Gospel reading challenges me.  Jesus makes it clear that there is no separation between him and the Father. Jesus is present now within our hearts through the gift of the Holy Spirit, given in Baptism. When we find it difficult to see him within ourselves we see, adore, and receive him in Eucharist.  We trust that as the bread and wine are changed into his body and blood, we are transformed as we receive, believe, and live a life that seeks to show him and the Father to each person we encounter. May they see him in each of us.

by Christine Da Costa