Dec 14: Of Dark and Healing Nights

Today is the feast day of the 16th century Spanish mystic, St. John of the Cross, a perfect mid-Advent commemoration of a man whose themes eloquently evoke the light-darkness interplay of the season.
Who has not been touched by:

One dark night,

fired with love's urgent longings

--ah, the sheer grace -- 

I went out unseen

my house being all stilled.

And that's only the first stanza!

Today you can venture not only into the metaphorical dark night with John of the Cross, but you can get in your car tonight and drive to St. Augustine of Canterbury Parish in Kendall Park for their 7pm Reconciliation Service.  Pastor Bob Lynam does a great job in generating turnout among throngs of parishioners and dozens of confessors, and organizes a very prayerful and personal event, despite the large scale. See for yourself!