A Sense of Longing Renewed

“As hard as it may be to ‘return to normal,’ after the annual Christmas festivities, it is much easier than imagining that anything could really be different. As imperfect as our lives may be, we have learned to deal with them. Whatever pain they may involve, it is pain to which we have become accustomed. It is ‘our’ pain; we may have even incorporated it into our story in such a way that we can hardly imagine our lives without it. We have become skilled at protecting ourselves against disappointment, assuring ourselves that this is part of ‘being adult.’

And yet, the sense of longing has been renewed.”

~Shirley Mullen

For the Truth is indeed One, without which there is no salvation,

but the possibilities of real knowledge are as many as are the creatures

in the very real and most exciting universe that God creates with and for His love. . .

And because of His visitation, we may no longer desire God as if He were lacking: 

our redemption is no longer a question of pursuit but of surrender to Him who is

always and everywhere present. Therefore at every moment we pray that, following Him,

we may depart from our anxiety into His peace.

~W. H. Auden (Excerpt from “For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio”)