Short Lent Talk 2 – “We have the light of the world to see by” – by Fr Simon Dray.

In this second Lent talk, we consider the benefit of the light of the gospel (c.f. 5th Sunday of Lent).

On hearing that Jesus wishes to visit Bethany, the disciples are concerned because of the threat to his life. He rather cryptically replies: ‘are there not twelve hours in the day? A man can walk in the daytime without stumbling because he has the light of this world to see by, but if he walks at night he stumbles because there is no light to guide him.’

The people of Jesus’ time were much more a tune to the rhythm of the day from sunrise to sunset, adjusting their day according to the season. Work, therefore, while it is light, for when darkness comes no-one can work. In our magnificence of technological advancement, we have lost some of this rhythm and tend to over-work and despite the benefits of artificial illumination, we may have lost our equilibrium.

And so, perhaps, we need to look a bit deeper into what Jesus is saying. He is using day and night as an allegory, to say that the daylight hours equate to human life, and night-time to death.

Jesus received his mission from his Father and there is not a moment to waste in bringing the good news of salvation to the people. There is, then, an encouragement to us not to waste the daylight; in other words, not to waste our life, for when darkness falls it may be too late. We too have been commissioned to bring the gospel to others; and there remains an urgency to our mission.

A reminder or perhaps a warning, John the Baptist came as a witness to bear witness to the light; he was not the light, only a witness for the light. This is a reminder of our share in the gospel; we do not serve to enhance our own position or status in life. We serve, always, so that Jesus may increase, meaning we must decrease – not in our activity, but in our egos!

Although the disciples are concerned for Jesus’ safety, He is not, because he knows that his ‘hour’ has not yet come. When his hour does come, however, darkness will cover the whole land – this being the description of the evangelist in his passion narrative.

Jesus, perhaps, is also warning us of how our opinions on life are easily swayed from one hour, from one day to the next. It is an invitation to illumine our conscience so that we know how to think and act in any given circumstance, but especially those concerning faith and morals.

Light and faith complement each other. Jesus announces that He is the light of the world, but the people already saw the Torah, the law and scriptures as the light given to the world,  so Jesus claim is very bold indeed. Not only is he taking this light to himself, but he is also even suggesting that the Law was in darkness.

This he implies also in Matthew gospel when he speaks of people placing their light under a bushel. No, the light must be put on the lampstand for all to see, and that a city on a hilltop must be a beacon for all to see. As such, Jesus is claiming to perfect the old feast of Tabernacles which celebrated the Temple as the Light of Jerusalem.

Therefore, when Jesus tells us: ‘I am the light of the world’; he is making a definitive statement of his divinity, By using the ‘I am’ statement,  He is appropriating for him self the divine name ‘I am who I am’. By saying that He is the ‘light of the world’, He is telling us that it is not possible for the ‘light’ to fail. Even at his appointed hour, He is not failing because no one takes his life from him. He is offering his life, so that we might have life and have it in abundance.

The presence of the light of the world, as the Father continues to be revealed, will not be limited to the historical life of Jesus; it will continue in the presence of Jesus and his associates; in other words, it will continue in the Church. Without the gospel, the world is in darkness, a moral darkness that can be very deep. Perhaps, our biggest problem is that there are too many ‘undercover Christians’, not in a secret service idea, working behind the scenes but in the sense that many people tick a box on Sunday and do not ‘go and announce the gospel of the Lord’.

‘Your grace is enough for us.’ The power of God’s grace is being equated with the light of the sun; and yet, we know how dangerous it is to look directly into the sun, so is the power of God’s grace to conquer the ‘night’; to raise the dead to life! The light of the gospel, then, is sufficient for us to place our faith in the resurrection.

In the Prologue, the beloved disciple, tells us that ‘the Light’ shines into the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. However, in our first Lent talk we were aware that not everyone likes to be brought into the light because it exposes us, especially our imperfections!

And so, we have another allegory for day and night, the struggle between good and evil. Judas brings the temple guards at night time for evil often works at night when there are less people to see what is going on and object to it.

However, we know that darkness is not a thing in itself, it is the absence of light, and even the tiniest beam of light will penetrate the darkness. In the same way, cold is the absence of heat, and evil is the absence of goodness.

Therefore, we have seen this, all it takes is one small gesture of goodness to penetrate cold and dark hearts. Goodness leads to goodness. It is the same principle of building good habits, in other words, we train ourselves in the practice of choosing virtue over vice: to choose truth over falsehood, chastity over promiscuity, forgiveness over keeping grudges; to always keep justice and mercy in perfect balance, to tackle and alleviate the poverty and keeping our greed in check. Our light shines when we walk uprightly and speak the truth with love, without compromise.

Letting our light shine is, then, no abstract concept; it involves concrete behaviour, and active choice in the time of behaviour we put out there. For instance, the sacrament of matrimony is an image of Christ the bridegroom and his bride, the Church. The martial life, then, is permanent and faithful and it is fruitful.

God is glorified when our light shines, especially in the vocational state to which he has called us: whether that be in the single life, the married life, the consecrated life or in Holy Orders; all of us accept the means by which God wishes us to make his presence felt in the world: ‘my soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour’.

Pentecost was most certainly a moment of light in the Church, taking a small Church of disciples who were timid and afraid and releasing them upon the world as a public enterprise. The symbol of fire for the Holy Spirit shows that the third person of the Blessed Trinity provides light for us to see by. Just as the pillar of fire and cloud led the Israelites through the Red Sea, so the Holy Spirit continues to lead the way from death to life.

Ignorance, contempt and disownment of truth are the cause and root of many an evil in our world because they disturb individuals and communities. Therefore, the Holy Spirit speaks, leads, warns, decrees, teaches, chooses, calls and send, so that no one may be left in doubt that Jesus is Lord.

The Sacrament of Confirmation provides the gifts of the Holy Spirit to sustain us in the moral life: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and fortitude, of knowledge and piety, and a spirit of the fear of the Lord. They help to complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them.

It is a shame that the number of teenagers coming forward for Confirmation are dropping off significantly, and that those who do receive them see this last sacrament of initiation as a completion or sacrament of exit, rather than the impetuous to begin their missionary adventure.

The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory: the tradition of the Church lists them as: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control and chastity.

A final word, as always, to Our Lady, who as Star of the Sea illumiates the darkness of the night, so that we may find a safe harbour: the Church and later heaven. Our Lady always points us in the direction of Her son, helping us navigate the sometimes-rough waters of the world, and even our own passions.

As Saint Bernard of Clairvaux tells us, ‘if the winds of temptation arise; if you are driven upon the rocks of tribulation look to the star, call on Mary; if you are tossed upon the waves of pride, of ambition, of envy, of rivalry, look to the star, call on Mary. Should anger, or avarice, or fleshy desire violently assail the frail vessel of your soul, look at the star, call upon Mary.’

Mary, as star of the sea, directs us to safety, to salvation, to life beyond survival. She points us to peace. She is a promise that we will never be lost, that the storms of life will never spell disaster. And so, we place ourselves in her hands:

‘Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me’.