Friday, December 6, 2013

Saint Nicholas of Myra , Bishop

Dear Fathers, Brothers, Sisters in Christ

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?
(Psalm 27:1)


 Jesus tells us "I am the light of the world. (see John 8:12) The Psalmist yearns for this Light to come. He has tasted it. He desires only to "gaze on the loveliness of the Lord and contemplate His temple."

 We are in the "house of the Lord," in His temple, most especially when we pray from the depths of our hearts. It is in this place that we realize that the Lord is truly our light, our refuge, and our strength.

 In this place, we have no fear. Even if an army of temptations, threats and misfortune "encamp against me," we wait for the Lord without fear. To "wait for the Lord (v.14)" literally means in Hebrew to "look eagerly" for His coming, for His being with us, for uniting Himself to us.

 The Psalm ends with this exhortation to wait for the Lord with courage. Again, the literal Hebrew reads, "Wait for the Lord and He will strengthen your heart." It is God who gives us courage. It is not a case of self-help. How do we avail ourselves of this courage? By "waiting for the Lord," by looking eagerly for His ntervention in our lives, by growing daily in a deep abiding faith, by constantly placing our trust in Him!





Father Ed Bakker
Anglican Catholic Church / Original Province
Mission of Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne
Bendigo
Australia