Advent 2015 – 30th November

‘How beautiful on the mountain are the feet of those who bring good news.’  

Feet are not, generally, all that beautiful. Especially those who have been walking extensively on mountains. Celebrating feast of St Andrew the Apostle, we celebrate that the good news is shared by the faithful walking of the way of discipleship and mission, and that beauty comes not from protecting ourselves from the damage that the world may inflict as we tread out path through it, but from our engagement with the world around us as we bring the love of God to those who do not yet know it.

On that basis, every wrinkle on Mother Teresa’s face (and I’m sure her feet were just as wrinkled) was a mark of beauty, because they were the product of a lifetime of smiling God’s love on others.

The signs of our life’s journey can be traced on our own bodies and minds.  The marks that mar our physical beauty can often be the very things that reveal the beauty of our actions – the sacrifices we have made, the ways that we have been hurt and healed, the burdens we have carried either for ourselves or others.

May we walk faithfully and courageously the path that God sets before us, so that all that makes our feet ugly also makes them beautiful.