“Toward Light:” Finger Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC
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Gospel JN 3:16-21
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
Finger Painting: During our lockdown, I have been painting faces of Christ to keep me centered and grounded in my life of faith. Finger painting helps me live in the moment. I have also been painting flowers, some as exercises and others because I realize that flowers live only for a short moment. In this Easter Season, I miss our prayer together that captures a moment in our lives every week. I also miss our Easter flowers that teach us how to live brilliantly during our time on earth. So, I dedicate these finger paintings in these weeks to you, and to all of us, struggling to live in this moment in history and aching to discover the deeper meaning of life that is ultimately God’s love for each of us. I dedicate these to people who grieve their losses, and who starve for food, companionship, and intimacy. I hope you enjoy the color, the chaos, and the life of these flowers that live beyond a week or so this springtime.
Broken But Not Divided 
Thank you for the flowers today. In our home we have a quiet peace. We spend time after our meal to visit as we did many year ago. We pray together. We enjoy just being together.
I pray that all families may find peace in their homes. May the light of Christ grow stronger in our home and in our world.
Thanks for another great homily Fr. Ron. My art teacher, Michael Newberry, tells us to “drive toward the light” when we are creating our art, and your homily today is all about that light of Christ, a candle given to each of us at our baptism, burning within us today. Thanks Ron you always bring so much hope and insight to us 🙂 Love, -Danny Z-man