SAINT ANTHONY NOVENA DAY ONE:

EMBRACE THE LIGHT OF CHRIST

Posted by Greg Friedman, OFM – 6/4/2020

“When it is dark, we do not see how dusty and dirty our house is. Only when the place is flooded with sunlight do we realize its awful condition. So we need the light of God’s grace to show us the real state of our soul and induce us to clean up our hearts!”
–Saint Anthony of Padua

Reflection

The worldwide pandemic has required most of us to stay at home. We’re stuck with our houses, our rooms—and those surroundings are no doubt becoming more and more familiar. Perhaps for some of us, it is too confining; we long to be out in the world with others. Sadly, for those with the virus, a room, maybe even a hospital room, is a place of quarantine, separate from loved ones.

Saint Anthony urges us to allow some light into our house, into our room. He’s talking poetically here, of course. The “house” is our heart, the most personal part of who we are. The “light” is God’s love, God’s presence.

That “inner space” is the place within, where God lives with us. The light is already there; we’re called, perhaps to open windows into our truest self, to go there and seek that light.

Return to the St. Anthony Novena landing page.