Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter
One of my favorite parts of the Mass at Immaculate Conception Parish happens when we dismiss the children with our blessing for the Children’s Liturgy of the Word. I’m always deeply moved when we sing the chorus over them affirming that God’s Word is a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their path (Ps 119:105). What a powerful message to declare over our precious ones week after week! We sing confidently over them, imparting a life-giving truth. I hope that each of us adults internalize this truth for ourselves, as well, as we proclaim God’s Word. God knows full well how we humans struggle to walk in the light and how strong our temptation to remain in darkness. In today’s Gospel, Jesus announces (loudly), “I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.” We have a darkness problem in our world. When we find ourselves in the dark, we must honestly acknowledge that we’ve made a choice to be there. Christ himself is our Light that never goes dim. Perhaps today we might take a step out of the darkness and enter more fully into the light of God’s love.
Today’s Gospel sounds a lot like John 3:19-21, which we read two weeks ago. “Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil . . . whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” This contrast between light and darkness must have been super important to St John. He writes about light 16 times in his Gospel and 5 times in his first epistle. In his beautiful discourse in chapter 1 of the Gospel, John eloquently describes Jesus Christ as the light that came into the world. Jesus himself affirms this identity, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
God knows that in our brokenness we humans tend to walk in darkness. We can all relate to how confusing, misleading, perilous, and frightening it is to try to walk in literal darkness. The same is true of our spiritual darkness. God has provided us with a Lamp. His name is Jesus, our Light, our Salvation. Today I’m wondering if we can bring our darkness before Jesus our Love, our Light. Let’s name our personal darknesses and ask Jesus to lead us into his light. Perhaps we need clarity in some decision-making or important discernment. Let us name those situations before our Lord and ask him to be the lamp unto our feet and the light unto our path. God knows how we struggle. God makes it abundantly clear in the Word that we need not struggle nor remain in darkness. Jesus is our Light. I pray that you and I might receive the illumination we need this day. Come, O Light of the World, come!
- Elizabeth Wourms