This morning after Lauds, I lingered in the chapel to pray for a bit. As I departed, I noticed sunlight falling across the statue of St. Joseph, illuminating his solemn hands in a way that I’d not noticed before. I’ve been thinking about St. Joseph ever since, thinking about his hands of light, thinking that in life he could probably have constructed, made, built, designed, created, formed most anything worth making in wood. But he could not construct light. He could not form that which falls upon us as pure gift.
But then again, did he not abide with the Light of the world, and in his own way pass that light along through what he constructed, made, designed, created, formed?
With St. Joseph on my mind today, I’ve been noticing myself and my Sisters as we work. I’ve seen Sr. Magdalena at the organ, Sr. Janet Marie counseling a Sister, Sr. Kathleen at work in the kitchen, Sr. Treva returning from a meeting, Sr. Emilie preparing books for Mass, Sr. Therese assisting an elder, Sr. Sara Aiden coming home after a day of teaching school…and myself, diligent in my various undertakings. None of us created light today, yet Dawn fell on each of us, and abiding in that Light, we each sought to pass the Light along in our varied ways.
As sunlight illumines our mornings, the Light of the world comes to us as pure gift. We cannot create it. But we are each called to take the light that falls upon us and be a carpenter of light, helping make, design, build, form, create the kingdom of God, passing along the Light of the world through holy labor and ceaseless prayer.