Friends, some of you may see this post twice, as I wrote this piece for this week's San Lorenzo Church newsletter. Just now I received a Facebook message from St. Raphael Parish and Missions: St. Mary and St. Theresa. The writer advised that he or she knew little else about the carol. The four lines were included in a compilation, "A Way to the Heart of Christmas," New City Press, 1991. I believe this book is out of print.
"The middle of the night
is the beginning of the day.
The middle of need
is the beginning of the light."
A friend recently sent me the first two lines of this quote and asked if I knew the source. Not only did I not know the source, I could find no reference to it on the internet. I passed the inquiry on to another friend who found the first two lines and two additional lines on the Facebook page of a church in Eldred, PA. Their post advised these verses are from "an old carol." I left a post on their page asking if they knew any more about this carol, but so far no response.
Even if I never hear from them, this process of exploration and connection lifted my spirits. This past week has been complicated, disappointing, and even frightening. While I certainly knew that the difficulties we have experienced in 2020 were not going to magically disappear just because our calendars told us the year was over, I was hoping for a little steadier beginning to 2021. I am certain I was not alone in that hope.
Yet, these four lines tell me that God's hope is surprising and reaches further than I can imagine. I may hope for a comfy start to a new year, but that is actually a small hope. A private hope. In the heart of this carol is the reminder that in the middle of all that appears to be going terribly awry, the beginnings of hope and promise of a brighter time are already in place. I am also reminded that hope is for all people. Let us remember that hope was born in a manger, dunked and raised in a river, and honed in the desert. Those in power would eventually try to annihilate it. Yet, hope could not be extinguished. Hope took the form of Christ and continued to grow.
I have always appreciated the Common English Bible translation of Psalm 27:14. Many translations read "Wait in the Lord!" The CEB reminds me that at the heart of waiting is hope. The good news is that hope is already here and it will continue to grow. If we keep our hearts open to these stirrings, we can help nurture hope in those who no longer believe such a thing is possible.
Hope in the Lord!
Be strong!
Let your heart
take courage!
Hope in the Lord!
photograph: San Leandro, December 28, 2020
Some neighbors recently moved north. One of them has a yet to be diagnosed illness, and they are moving to a city where they know no one. I find that a little worrisome, but they have their own journeys. When I walked past their now empty house a week after they moved, this solitary rose was blooming. I guess for me it is both a momento and a prayer. Yes, a sign of hope.
I have a pot of pinto beans cooking on the stove. The aroma is one of my favorites.
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