Daily Reflection Friday of the First Week of Advent

Whether I’m clocking into work on a Monday evening, sitting by the window in a friend’s dining room, or watching a neighbor squeeze in yardwork before sunset, the same timely topic has come up almost every day—”it gets dark so early now!” Indeed, the sun sets just before 4:30 p.m., making the temperature plummet earlier, lowering our visibility during commutes, and perhaps impacting our mood.

I typically dread the approach of winter for these very reasons. But today’s readings remind me that darkness will not last forever. In Matthew’s Gospel, the blind men receive an end to their darkness. We don’t know how long they were blind for and how long they’d been hoping to be healed, but they had faith in Jesus to heal them and He brought them to light in His perfect timing. We are no exception; we might not suffer from physical blindness, but Jesus can heal us from our other wounds, too, and bring us back into the light.

These readings also remind me I don’t have to white-knuckle my way through darkness either. As much as I dislike it, darkness is necessary for growth, and this season, I am trying my best to welcome it. I cannot help but point out that the darkest day of the year, December 21, always falls right before Jesus’s birth. If that darkness and loneliness Mary and Joseph experienced before she gave birth were necessary for the light of Jesus, then I will ask Him to grant me the grace of patience to accept these circumstances.

On these cold, dreary days when I miss the sun, I offer my sufferings to God and listen to His comforting words.