Look to him and be radiant
Ps 34 5a
This verse reminds me of recognizing Jesus as the primordial sacrament. I recently explored this understanding with my university students while discussing Vatican IIs implication that the Catholic Church has nine sacraments, not only the ritual seven. The first is Jesus, and the second is the Church itself.
In his book, “Understanding Sacraments Today,” Lawrence Mick states that Christian sacraments are the signs of Gods continual work in the world (83). The Incarnation of God, Jesus, is the primary sacrament through which God gives the Divine Self away to us and to the world. In Lumen Gentium, Light of the Nations, Jesus is the first light. Since he is no longer bodily present on the earth, the Church (in an inclusive sense) continues to be that Presence.
Only in the measure that the Church reflects Jesus can the Church be a light to world. A metaphor used to illustrate this relationship between Jesus and the Church is that of the sun and moon. The moon has no light of its own; only by reflecting the brilliance of the sun can it bathe the earth with its silvery glow. In the same way, only by reflecting Gods own glorious self can the Church provide the earth and its people with the gift of that Self. Without the Holy One, the Church is nothing.
The moon has a dark side that faces away from the sun, as does the Church, and whenever those who comprise the People of God turn from their source of life and light, they have no life to give away. The moon, of course, has no ability to change its orientation; its dark side remains forever dark. That is not so with us.
Ps. 34 calls us to look to God and be radiant. Each time we do, Gods gift of Self is poured out in new and wonderful ways, transforming the earth and all who dwell on it.
© 2010 Mary van Balen
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