Shine

Today we meditate on the Joyful mysteries. Today's reading also reminds us that we have to 'shine'. There is really no reason why we can't shine. If we are winning on Christ's side, then it is clear why we can shine. If we are loosing against Christ, that is, if in our pride we feel defeated by Truth, we can still shine. Because we are defeated by a great King. An anonymous wise man said: " the greatest victory one can ever achieve is to make your enemy into your friend."
It is a blessing to loose against Christ. One more reason to celebrate. So everybody in Christ's empire are joyful.

1 John 3:2
Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

Present sorrow and suffering is the way to glory, the way to the kingdom.
– St. Bernard

Angel' is the name of their office, not of their nature. If you seek the name of their nature, it is 'spirit'; if you seek the name of their office, it is 'angel': from what they are, 'spirit', from what they do, 'angel.'
-- St. Augustine

Citizenship
The Apostle wrote that "there is no more Gentile and Jew, no more circumcised and uncircumcised; no one is barbarian or Scythian, no one is a slave or a free man; there is nothing but Christ in any of us."Those words are as valid today as they were then. Before the Lord there is no difference of nation, race, class, state... Each one of us has been born in Christ to be a new creature, a son of God. We are all brothers, and we have to behave fraternally towards one another.
– St. Josemaria Escriva, Furrow, #317