Sister Moon

“Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,

in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.”

Most of the time, the rays of the sun are too bright. The eyes can’t take it. However, when it is reflected by the moon, the same light becomes so warm and beautiful. It is gentle, not threatening.

With the chronic illness in his eyes, the sunlight was painful for St Francis. But he would enjoy the gentle touch of the moon light. It gave him comfort.

The presence of Sister Moon is like someone who is there regardless of whether we notice him/her or not. She accompanies us and gives us the light in the dark night. The darkness is bearable because of her silent presence.

Sister Moon reminds us that the sun is still there. There will be tomorrow. In the same way, she always reminds us there is tomorrow because God is there. Reflecting on Sister Moon reveals to us about who God is and who we are.

She, who generates no light of her own but constantly reflects the ray of the sun, is a constant reminder that each of us is called to reflect the Light of Christ, to be an instrument of not our own but God’s love, joy, and peace.

When the moon is eclipsed, which is when the earth is in between the sun and her, she could not reflect the sun and became orange-ish and dark. In the same way, when the “world” gets between God and us, the Light is eclipsed, and we lose our vision and experience a moment of darkness. Like her, whose face is fixed towards the earth and the sun, we should always fix our face and vision towards God.

When we look at the moon tonight, may we see that God is good.

For Reflection,

• Whose light have you been reflecting in your life? What do people see / experience when they see you?

• In the darkness of your life, who is silently present there to accompany and guide you to the Light? Who is there to remind you that there will be tomorrow?