By Sr. Doreen, SSJD
The September quote in the Anglican Church of Canada calendar is from Proverbs 4:18
“The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.”
In the Message translation this fourth chapter is entitled ‘Your Life is at Stake’ and the 18th verse reads “the ways of the right-living people glow with light; the longer they live, the brighter they shine.”
Welcoming the dawn is like the moment when someone understands something that was previously unclear. There is a kind of intake of awe when looking at, welcoming the dawn … something stirs deep down inside, and seems to uncover a newness to begin the day. The same reaction happens when during unclear situations, something triggers an ‘aha’ moment, a ‘dawn’ moment. I found this to be so true when standing on the lawn outside the cottage as dawn approached, it was an awesome experience and a dramatic one on this morning, as I hurried inside for my camera to capture this awakening of a new day.
Pondering the word welcome and the ways of the righteous made me think of all the clutter: material, mental, emotional, and spiritual clutter that often stands in the way – that stops the authentic me from coming alive and flowing in life with confidence. This sunrise was so dramatic, such a icon of truth for me – to let go of myself and what I held on to – it was a loud cry of welcome to experience the dawn of a new exciting relationship with God, with myself, with others, and with all of life.
It also made me ponder ‘the path of the righteous’ – ‘the ways of right living people’. What came to my mind was the fruit of the Spirit, as described in Galatians 5: 22 – 23, which refers to nine qualities: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. As we grow in our relationship with God, it is possible for these qualities to become increasingly visible in our lives. In the message translation of scripture as we continue in Galatians, we read “But what happens when we live God’s way? God brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard – things like affection for others, an exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that there is a basic holiness permeating all things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.”
I could understand in a new way what it meant to become like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter. It was an invitation to be vulnerable and open – to let go of some of the protective and possessive parts of my life, and those same closed attitudes and ways of life around me and in the world of today. It is an invitation to accept falling down and getting back up over and over again as I attempt to be generously open!
His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu in their “Book of Joy” also shone more light on this passage from Proverbs. Over and over in this book they reiterate that the goal of life was to live with joy and purpose. “God, who is forever pouring out God’s whole being from all eternity, wants you to flourish. God wants you to be filled with joy and excitement and ever longing to be able to find what is so beautiful in God’s creation: the compassion of so many, the caring, the sharing. And God says, ‘Please, my child, help me. Help me to spread love and laughter and compassion. ‘ And you know what, my child? As you do this – hey, presto – you discover joy. Joy, which you had not sought, comes as the gift, as almost the reward for this non-self-regarding caring for others.”
Throughout their book they say again and again that joy is born out of happiness and sorrow, and that what is needed is our ability to live more from the compassionate part of our nature and to have a sense of responsibility towards others and the world we live in. They wrote: “In this century if we make an attempt with realistic effort and clear vision, perhaps in the later part of the century, we can really have a happier world. A more peaceful world. A kinder and more compassionate world.”
The dawn of a new day, so dramatically displayed before me, began to symbolize new beginnings for us all personally, and it symbolized a new beginning for the brokenness of God’s creation. We long for the dawn of light in the darkness of our world today – and an end to the separation and tensions of war, disease, hunger, and violence. We long for the dawn of light to be a healing force in the torn fabric of our world.
Archbishop Tutu in the book said: “We are meant to live in joy. This does not mean that life will be easy or painless. It means that we can turn our faces to the wind and accept that this is the storm we must pass through. We cannot succeed by denying what exists. The acceptance of reality is the only place from which change can begin.”
If we can make a realistic effort with a clear vision, perhaps ‘the longer we live, the brighter we will shine – brighter and brighter until full day.’