Scripture is clear: The birth of Jesus, scripture says, was heralded by a burst of light. I am convinced, however, that the coming of Jesus is about more than the simple brilliance of lightning. This signature reference is not meant, I think, to tell us only that Jesus brings light into the world. Light, after all, came with the initial burst of Creation. Light was already here when Jesus was born.

No, instead, I think that at this new moment in time, the message is that Jesus brought a new kind of light into the world. The kind of light the world had never seen.

And what does that mean for us? It means that those who see Jesus see differently.

They see the poor who are invisible to the corporate and political structures of the world. They see the forgotten who are ignored by the self-righteous. They see those who are struggling to be more today than they were yesterday. And they reach out themselves to make it possible.

Thanks to you, we are still able to see that those in prison who count so much on you for spiritual support, can go on receiving The Monastic Way and other Benetvision materials that help them to grow beyond their pasts and continue to develop new attitudes and understanding for the future.

I’m so grateful to you: You are a sign to me of what giving really means. You model to us the kind of faith it takes to trust your own future to God when it would seem a great deal more prudent to take care of it yourself by forgetting everyone else.

You made our Christmas here at Benetvision this year. We won’t forget you—and neither will they. Expect a lot of blessings you never even thought to ask for.

With great respect and affection,

Joan, OSB