Epiphany 2025

"Ring the bell that still can ring.

Forget your perfect offering.

There is a crack, a crack in everything.

That's how the light gets in."

from "Anthem" by Leonard Cohen

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

The Gospel According to John 1: 1-5

Dear Friends,



I have been dwelling with this scripture since Christmastide, when we read it a couple of times in Eucharist and in the Daily Office. Or it has been dwelling with and in me. I am deeply grateful for it. Reading it most days, it reminds me of something crucial that I need to know--sometimes quite desperately. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

For many in our circles it feels like a very dark time; for some it is a time of joy and expectation. However you stand with the current events--the Inauguration of President Donald Trump, the Executive Orders and the plans of that administration; the cease fire in Gaza and the accompanying violence against Palestinians in the West Bank; the plans to deport many immigrants--those of us who call ourselves Christians have some common ground that we need to lean into.

I honestly don't know how we are to do this, but I've come to some conclusions for myself. One is that I intend to remember that my life is grounded in the words of the Gospel and my relationship to the Word: Jesus Christ. Jesus, revealed in this time of Epiphany as the light of the world is the one who was and is forever healing and calling for peace and reconciliation. Not a peace at any price, but God's peace, God's justice and God's love. When I forget that I inevitably get into trouble or cause it for someone else.

I worry about the people who are fearing being detained and deported. I feel the heartbreak and fear of many people who already didn't feel safe and now feel less so. Some LGBTQA+ people have already moved out of the country, some have plans, but many do not have the resources to go to a place that feels safer. And there is so much more concern.

No, I don't know much how we are going to find our way to a more loving country with compassion for the needs of all its people. But I remember our Baptismal Covenant. We make powerful promises of faithfulness to God and the teachings of the Good News. We promise to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves.We promise to renounce evil, to strive for peace and justice, and to respect the dignity of all people. (There is more. You can find it on pages 304 and 305 of the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church).

These promises apply to ALL people--whether I agree with their stances and speech, or not. It is a hard call but a precious one and is, indeed, the path of life--the life that has come into the world in Jesus, the Word.

It comforts me to remember the promise of LIfe and Light, and gives me strength to keep asking how I will live out this covenant--Love in all its manifestations. This love--all of it--has its source in God's love, in Christ's Light and the Spirit's Power.

Whatever transpires, I "put not [my] trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth," as the Psalmist urges. And I trust wholeheartedly this Light that can never be overcome by the darkness. Ever. A teacher I once studied with regularly reminded us "99% darkness cannot overcome 1% light."

Take heart, sisters and brothers, who are in sorrow and concern right now. And be heart--let God's love shine through you, your speech and your actions. If you are not in sorrow and are in joyful expectation of what the next years will bring in our country and the world, you be heart, too. And let us find our common roots in the Christ, our life and our Light.

With love in Christ,

E, for the Companions

Please pray with us

for the people of the United States, for Congress and the Supreme Court; for Donald, J.D., and the new administration; for compassionate justice, inclusivity, the end of divisiveness, care for the people and wisdom in governance;

for all immigrants and refugees in the USA, on the borders and around the world--and for those who advocate for them;

for peace with justice in Israel/Palestine; Ukraine and Russia; Sudan and around the world;

for people living in poverty around the globe, those suffering famine or are living without homelands or housing;

for all who are sick in body, mind or spirit, for healing and awareness of being held in God's care;

for those who work and advocate for human rights to be extended to all people;

for all who work to address the Climate Crisis, and the will and ability to do our part;

for inner peace, courage to stand for justice and love that outshines hatred and prejudice;

for all who have no one to pray for them specifically

for the Companions--vowed and oblates--and all discerning Companionship

and for the secret and silent prayers of all our hearts.

When we consider how much our educational, political, religious, and even social lives are geared to finding answers to questions born of fear, it is not hard to understand why a message of love has little chance of being heard.

Fearful questions never lead to love-filled answers.

Henri Nouwen

Join the Companions'

Coffee Table Community:

Communing with the Scriptures and Each Other

Come for rousing conversation about the coming Sunday's Readings, and for prayers

Fridays at 9:00 a.m. online

Write us for the link at

companionsma@gmail.com

Inquiring minds want to know: Why Coffee Table? Before the pandemic we gathered for Eucharist, with Bible Conversation, around the coffee table in the Companionary,

the home base of the vowed members of the Companions.

Community News

Shane:

I'm writing three days before I begin my sabbatical. I will begin at New Camaldoli Monastery in Big Sur, California, for a week of silence. From there I'll alternate visiting family and retreats, and returning home for periods of shared sabbath and renewal. I am deeply grateful for everyone who is making this possible, and encouraging and praying for me.

E and I led the annual New Year's 12-Step retreat at Holy Cross. We were joined by a wonderful group, some long-time folks and always delightful new ones. Then it's been a time of doing what needs doing before sabbatical: end of year finances, Board meetings, seeing directees, paying visits.

Perhaps in anticipation of sabbatical, my awareness of God has been intense, sending me to tears at inconvenient moments. Being in the woods is glorious, and I look forward to the forests in California, but it's just as likely to happen in church or in our little chapel. Or talking with a friend. A blessing I don't understand, but am grateful for.

I will be praying for the world, for all creation. I ask your prayers for me, that I will be renewed in this, the beginning of our 13th year as a community. God bless you all!

E:

You have much of my news from Shane. I am enjoying the quiet of the Companionary while Shane is in silence in a hermitage at New Camaldoli. By the time you read this, I will have the companionship of a friend of the community who will be here for a couple of weeks. I am delighted with that, though I will be away for part of that time. My travels will take me to Arizona, where I will spend time with colleagues from the Mastery Foundation School for Transformational Leadership.

I am recovering nicely from the surgeries for carpal tunnel syndrome, for which I am grateful.

Another new development is beginning to participate in Online writing workshops with Amherst Writers and Artists. I hope this will jumpstart my writing. So far so good!

Finally, I am enjoying the creative process of preparation for the Forgiveness Retreat that Alison Quin and I are leading in May. I am excited about it, as spiritual practices--like forgiveness--open us to God's grace in profound and unexpected ways. Consider joining us!

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