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Capture the Light

[caption id="attachment_5732" align="alignright" width="149"] Blog by Sr. Amy McFrederick, OP[/caption] It was already dark as I stepped out of the Dominican Sisters of Peace Akron Motherhouse, and was stopped in my tracks by the unexpected beauty that glowed before me. The thin layer of snow, capturing light from a not-too-bright porch light, sparkled like millions of tiny diamonds all across the parking lot, causing me to gasp in amazement and pause in appreciation. It was a moment of spontaneous contemplation. As I paused to take “a long loving look” at this spectacle, I noticed that just an ordinary light bulb shining on countless unsuspecting fallen snowflakes created such dazzling beauty before me. I wondered if this is just a hint of what God sees when ordinary people like you and me catch the light of Christ and reflect it to others. A few weeks later I was again surprised by similar beauty.  All my scraping had left a small corner of ice and snow on my windshield.  As I turned the car south heading home from the Cleveland Airport, the midday sun played on that leftover snow and ice, causing glittering specks of rainbow colors and white light—like a scattering of diamonds—on the left edge of my windshield.  Though my attention was mainly on the highway and traffic, I enjoyed the ice jewels until I turned east. Recalling how caked on snow and ice caught the blinding sunlight and reflected it to me in a beautiful way that delighted me and did not hurt my eyes—I thought this is what Dominican brothers and sisters around the world are called to do in our  motto “give to others the fruits of our contemplation.” To pray is to bask in the brilliant light of God’s love and Word, whether in church, at home, on the street, in prison, out in nature. All who catch God’s Light—no matter what age, culture, race, faith, or denomination, may make God’s saving mission and loving presence visible and tangible to others—through great generous self-sacrifices or even the smallest acts of kindness. Dominicans praise, bless and preach Christ, and we Dominican Sisters of Peace and Associates also have a special mission to BE PEACE, BUILD PEACE, and PREACH PEACE. Founded on Easter Sunday 2009, our name calls us to enflesh the peace of a Risen Christ—a peace “that surpasses understanding”—undimmed by Good Friday suffering and abandonment, shining brightly through closed locked doors, releasing his disciples from any prisons of shame, fear, or self-condemnation. To let this light/peace shine so others can see God in us, is to “preach from the pulpit of our lives.”

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