If you were to see this picture, what holiday might you think was being celebrated? HALLOWEEN, of course! But, NO… it is NOT!! Instead, it is ——— EPIPHANY! And that is not a scary witch crossing the sky, but ——— LA BEFANA.
WHO?????
La Befana, says Italian folklore, was a woman who LOVED to bake and clean her house. She began noticing a really bright star in the sky as she baked and cleaned, baked and cleaned… Hmmmmm… What WAS that light, anyway?
One day, three royal personages knocked at her door. They told her they were following that star to find the Christ child who had been born and asked if she might like to go with them? YES! ….. she said she really WOULD!!!!
BUT FIRST — she needed to do a bit more baking and sweeping, baking and sweeping…
Later, maybe?
FINALLY she was finally finished and ready to go — but they were nowhere to be found. To this day, she can be seen perched on her broom sweeping through the skies, still searching — searching — searching — for the Christ child…
I fear that many of us might be able to resonate with that story. We do really WANT to find room in our busy days for following the star… for taking time to connect with the Divine…
It’s just that there are SO many OTHER things we have to do FIRST!!!
Later, maybe?
At the beginning of Advent, I referred to an anthem, THOU SHALT KNOW HIM WHEN HE COMES, (click here to listen once again) which speaks of our own finding of the Christ child.
“Thou shalt know him when he comes
Not by any din of drums
Nor by the manner of his airs
Nor by anything he wears
Not by his crown or by his gown
But his coming known shall be
By the holy harmony his coming makes in thee.”
Now, as we officially “close” the Christmas season, it is appropriate to ask ourselves what “HOLY HARMONY” might be transforming us this coming year?
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