Ear Nut

Acts 12:24 - 13:5
Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8
John 12:44-50

"I came into the World as Light..." - John 12:46

Do you know what an ear nut is? In Filipino it's a pakaw. That's right. The little piece of metal that holds a stud earning in place. Well, one day, I dropped an ear nut under the bed.

The next morning, I tried to look for the thingy. Unfortunately, the bed was wedged between two immovable barriers. And I didn't have a flashlight. I thought I was stumped for sure until I remembered that my cell phone had one of those features that was 10x better that a flashlight. In no time, I found my the ear nut. I also found under the bed were the shoes I thought I'd lost, a shirt that had been missing for months, and layers of dust that could coat a mountaintop the size of Apo.

Jesus as Light of the World came to help us find our lost ear nut. I like to think that this lost item is the image and likeness of the Father that is built into each of us. It's not easy because it's buried under so much baggage. Many think that the way to get to the ear nut is to ignore the baggage. I doubt that Jesus thinks this way. He knows that the only way is to look through His eyes into the darkness that surrounds us and then find our precious real selves. When we do this, we can start cleaning up. And then maybe, just maybe, our original selves will start to grow. Victoria L.

Reflection: What baggage do you have to get rid of? If you can't answer that, I suggest you look to the Light.

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, that I may see the real me that You created me to be.

St. Ultan, abbot, pray for us.