The term ‘dark night of the Soul’ derives from the title of a poem written by the C16 Spanish mystic, San Juan de la Cruz (St John of the Cross) which in Spanish was ‘Noche Oscura (canciones del alma)’. John of the Cross had been imprisoned in a tiny two by three metre cell with a tiny slit high up to let in a small amount of light; in this cell he wrote his ‘Spiritual canticles’ on paper smuggled into him by a guard. This famous poem, however, he wrote after his escape from the prison.

Making whole, whether a feast, a body, a mind, a spirit, a teaching, or a law was what Jesus of Nazareth brought to the world of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. God the Son, fills up the feast of life set before us with joy, finest delight, and it will never run out. Let him live in us!

Profundus is the Latin word for deep and, of course, the root word of our English term ‘profound’. Something that is profound is not only something deep in meaning but also, implicitly, worthy of being found. It has also led to an understanding that sometimes things worthy of being found may be encountered not only in places of deep thought, but also in places of the dark depths, out of sight of the light. It may be the place, for example, where one feels so deep down in the darkness of spirit that one strains one’s eyes even to catch a glimmer of light as a beacon of any hope.

But beyond the glitter, what does Christmas actually mean for you? What does it mean for you not just in general terms but what does it mean for you this year in particular?