Welcome, light of dawn!
And the growing light is an Advent theme as well – a little bit atavistic. But don’t knock it – this is God’s world, including the wonderful rhythm of the year.
Also the US Supreme Court is wrong to overturn New York’s limitation on attendances at religious worship. The privileges accorded to religion don’t extend as far putting people’s lives in danger. For instance there’s no right to take your hands off the steering wheel to pray. Having a constitution that guarantees certain rights is bound to end in tears, because sooner or later those rights are going to come into conflict with each other, and it’ll be the rich and powerful who decide how to resolve those conflicts. The reality is that we live in a difficult and complicated world and we struggle at times to understand what God’s holy love is calling us to do. According to Mark 12:28-31, “One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The first is, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’” It’s not very loving to let your neighbour catch a potentially fatal disease.