The saint spoke of light through a tiny aperture, and I thought of all the cracks in my own life, the places where grace had slipped in unannounced, like a thief who leaves behind a gift instead of taking.
Jennifer, you write of darkness not as an enemy to be vanquished but as a space waiting for illumination. It’s a truth the mystics know too well… the ones who have pressed their foreheads against the cold floor of their own failures and found, in the surrender, a warmth they could not explain. Saint Porphyrios understood this. He did not rage against the night, he lit a candle. And isn’t that the harder thing? To trust that the light, however small, is enough?
The thought of Maria speaking of his eyes, blue like an endless sky, like a sea that doesn’t drown but carries. That is the paradox of the saints. They do not remove us from the world but teach us how to bear it. They do not fight the darkness, they make room for the light. And in doing so, they remind us that the weight of the world was never meant to be carried in a handbag.
Cohen was right, of course. The crack is where the light enters. But the mystics would add that the crack is also where we exit, where we slip out of ourselves and into something greater. Perhaps that is what it means to be wounded by love. Not to be spared the breaking, but to find, in the broken places, the presence of the divine.
Jennifer, I always teach "the story of Effie" to my Ethics classes at the seminary, because it is the one story where the saint and the person helped "become good friends" at the end. And the life in Christ is a journey from discipleship to friendship... I also know in that story that the saint says, "Effie had lots of children" - but I never imagined I'd see a picture of one! Or that my friend would meet one! How Amazing!!!
Thank you Jennifer!! What a joy to join your pilgrimage vicariously. This post is life-giving. The principle of St. Porphyrios of letting in the light rather than cursing the darkness, has been life changing for me.
wow, that's amazing, timothy. so funny how God (and saint gavrilia) make things happen sometimes. thanks for telling me!
The saint spoke of light through a tiny aperture, and I thought of all the cracks in my own life, the places where grace had slipped in unannounced, like a thief who leaves behind a gift instead of taking.
Jennifer, you write of darkness not as an enemy to be vanquished but as a space waiting for illumination. It’s a truth the mystics know too well… the ones who have pressed their foreheads against the cold floor of their own failures and found, in the surrender, a warmth they could not explain. Saint Porphyrios understood this. He did not rage against the night, he lit a candle. And isn’t that the harder thing? To trust that the light, however small, is enough?
The thought of Maria speaking of his eyes, blue like an endless sky, like a sea that doesn’t drown but carries. That is the paradox of the saints. They do not remove us from the world but teach us how to bear it. They do not fight the darkness, they make room for the light. And in doing so, they remind us that the weight of the world was never meant to be carried in a handbag.
Cohen was right, of course. The crack is where the light enters. But the mystics would add that the crack is also where we exit, where we slip out of ourselves and into something greater. Perhaps that is what it means to be wounded by love. Not to be spared the breaking, but to find, in the broken places, the presence of the divine.
Jennifer, I always teach "the story of Effie" to my Ethics classes at the seminary, because it is the one story where the saint and the person helped "become good friends" at the end. And the life in Christ is a journey from discipleship to friendship... I also know in that story that the saint says, "Effie had lots of children" - but I never imagined I'd see a picture of one! Or that my friend would meet one! How Amazing!!!
Thank you Jennifer!! What a joy to join your pilgrimage vicariously. This post is life-giving. The principle of St. Porphyrios of letting in the light rather than cursing the darkness, has been life changing for me.
So good, so good, so good! how did you know my heart needed these life-giving words.
Thankyou!
Who are some other saints of light? Thank you for this. I’m touching on this as well. May I quote you? So much wisdom here.
thank you, katie. i'll keep my eyes open and let you know what i fiind through future substacks! yes, you can quote this :)
I posted the essay yesterday if you want to go look.
Thank you so much.
*you're
thank YOU, katie.
by the way, is that a norwegian fjord your cuddling?
so sweet.