The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it - John 1:5
One of the most powerful images in Christian tradition is that of light. Light has always played a role in humanity's understanding of the divine. Ancient civilizations like the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all had gods that were associated with light, more specifically the sun. It was worshiped and prayed for as an important cycle of life. Conversely darkness has a place in our understanding of the divine. Darkness brings with it connotations of nothingness, empty, devoid of the divine. From this passage from the prologue of the Gospel of John points to the way in which we view Christ, the Word as existing before creation and through the Incarnation the Word was made flesh in Jesus. With the incarnation came the divine light that was revealed to us in Christ and through the Spirit. In this case light brings us strength, sustenance, and hope.
Have you ever been in a room that was completely dark, devoid of light? How did you feel? Did you know where things were? I was in a dark room once. While it was a room in a physical sense but the darkness of my mind. In it I could not see where I was going. I couldn't see any purpose to my life. In it was only pain, pain that I was desperately seeking to end. But before long I could see a light. At first it was just a flicker, like a flashlight with loose batteries. Over time it grew and grew until one day I was no longer in the darkness, but in the light. Some theologians will say that hell, or damnation, is not some fiery pit filled with eternal tortuous punishment, what we associate with Dante's Inferno. Instead they say that hell is spending eternity in the absence of the love and light of God, never to be in his presence. When I was in the darkness of my mind, that was when I felt furthest away from the light and love of God. Instead of living into the darkness, giving into the pain, I followed the light, because the darkness cannot overcome the light.
During this time of Lent reflect on those moments when you felt distant from God, when you felt like he didn't hear you or care. Think about what brought you back. How did the light overcome your darkness?
Have you ever been in a room that was completely dark, devoid of light? How did you feel? Did you know where things were? I was in a dark room once. While it was a room in a physical sense but the darkness of my mind. In it I could not see where I was going. I couldn't see any purpose to my life. In it was only pain, pain that I was desperately seeking to end. But before long I could see a light. At first it was just a flicker, like a flashlight with loose batteries. Over time it grew and grew until one day I was no longer in the darkness, but in the light. Some theologians will say that hell, or damnation, is not some fiery pit filled with eternal tortuous punishment, what we associate with Dante's Inferno. Instead they say that hell is spending eternity in the absence of the love and light of God, never to be in his presence. When I was in the darkness of my mind, that was when I felt furthest away from the light and love of God. Instead of living into the darkness, giving into the pain, I followed the light, because the darkness cannot overcome the light.
During this time of Lent reflect on those moments when you felt distant from God, when you felt like he didn't hear you or care. Think about what brought you back. How did the light overcome your darkness?
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