19 July 2018
Darkness is often a place of
growth. A child is conceived and
develops in the darkness of the womb. A
seed is nurtured and grows in the darkness of the earth. And we humans mature and grow when the dark
periods of life cast a shadow on our souls.
And regardless of why we might find
ourselves in that darkness, our souls continually and almost instinctively
desire the light of day. “My soul yearns
for you in the night, yes, my spirit within me keeps vigil for you”
[Isaiah]. And that longing for daylight
and life is what keeps us from getting stuck in the darkness.
But, of course, that Light and Life
is Jesus. Our Lord came down from heaven
and enters right into the darkness of our pains and wounds. And there he says to us: “Come to me, all you
who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and
learn from me” [Mt 11:28]. We never go
it alone. Even the words of the prophets
are there with us. Isaiah affirms that the
“dead shall live, their corpses shall rise; awake and sing, you who lie in the
dust.”
Regardless of why we find ourselves
in the dark times of life, we know that Christ is there with us to see us
through and to bring us back to life. He
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, who descended to
the dead, and on the third day rose and ascended into heaven [Apostles
Creed]. He who has visited the land of
the dead and brought life and renewed hope.
We meet Christ in the dark times of
life; we meet him in the tomb. But from
there we grow with God who releases us—from darkness to light, from death to
life.
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