Look Again Don't forget to turn on Jesus! "Be like men awaiting their master's return ... so that when he arrives and knocks, you will open for h

A wise old pastor was asked by a parishioner, "When do you think Christ will come again?" The pastor replied, "I didn't know He had been away."

"And He departed from our sight," said St. Augustine, "that we might return to our heart and there find Him. For He departed, and behold, He is here!"

We feel the darkness closing in. We feel the threat of it. We don't know how to deal with it. Then God, in His great Love, sends the light! Let there be light at the center of this darkness! And the light that is given is the Spirit of Christ within us.

Light -- ordinary light -- is a form of energy, a source of power which stimulates the nerve-endings of our eyes. Christ, our Light, is the power of God Himself stimulating the nerve-endings of our life, making it possible for us to penetrate the darkness, put things in their true perspective, see what life is all about. More than that, it is a power that gives us strength to cope, strength to live creatively, strength to love unconditionally. When we open the window of our heart to God we can see what the beloved disciple John saw when he wrote, "The Word became flesh And made His dwelling among us, and we have seen His glory: The glory of an only Son coming from the Father, filled with enduring love" (Jn. 1:14).

Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29) ... The real Light which gives light to every man (Jn. 1:19).

Jesus Christ did not go into hiding after He rose from the tomb. He made His dwelling among us. He wants us to see His glory.

"Be on guard," Jesus says in today's Gospel, "the Son of Man will come when you least expect Him" (Lk. 12:40). "Be like men awaiting their master's return ... so that when he arrives and knocks, you will open for him without delay. It will go well with those servants whom the master finds wide awake ..." (Lk. 12:36-37).

We get so busy, we are involved with so many of life's trappings that, in spite of our best intentions, we begin to lose contact with the Master. We are no longer prepared to receive Him when He knocks. If you want to know what human life is about, "Behold! Look at the Christ." What do you see? You see One whose life makes it possible for us to love others in a very special way. You see One who gives us hope for the future. You see One who is the Savior of the world. You see One who is your Savior. You see One who comes to you personally, in an unique, individual way. Behold! Stay awake! Look until you see what God is doing for you through Christ at this particular moment in your life. You can look again, and look again, and no matter where you are in your pilgrimage, you can see something more there. This applies even to the most devout Christian believers, to those who are most faithful, to those who spend time regularly searching the Scripture and learning from it, to those who try to be obedient to the Spirit of God. Even those persons can look again and discover that God is always doing something that can lead them to deeper levels of living and loving. God is always surprising us in this way.

In a large New England parish it was the custom for the Church leaders to go on retreat each fall. There they would plan the major parish activities for the year ahead. At one such retreat, they decided that a big Christmas Pageant would be a good activity. When it came time to map out the production, they got into a long discussion of how to symbolize Jesus in the manger. They didn't want to use a doll or a statue, and they ruled out using a real baby. Finally they decided to put a light in the manger. They did this very tastefully so that throughout the Pageant a warm glow of light would shine out from the manger. On opening night, the house was packed, the audience was expectant and the curtain went up. Immediately, all of the principals realized that something was wrong and there was a moment of silent hesitation. Then, everyone heard the director say, in a loud, raspy stage whisper to the stage manager, "Hey Bill, you forgot to turn on Jesus."

The pastor of a rural Church deep in the Ozark Mountains suggested to his parishioners that they purchase a chandelier. The matter was put to a vote and the suggestion was unanimously rejected. "Why do you oppose the purchase of a chandelier?" asked the preacher. "Well," drawled one of his flock, "first we can't spell it, so how can we order it? Second, even if we did get it, no one can play it. Third, what we really need is more light."2

One of the great things about God is that He knows we need more Light and He never forgets to turn it on. He is constantly whispering to each one of us, "Behold the Christ, the Light of the world!"