Darkness and light
From today’s Scripture: “Rise up in splendor your light has come…see, darkness covers the earth,…but upon you the Lord shines.”—Is 60:1,2
I was raised in the Northeast, Appalachian, region of Pennsylvania. Houses were built in the 1800’s. There was a large cellar under our house where there was little light—it was an electric wire with a bulb hanging from it.
Dad would frequently unscrew the bulb and go out the back door of the cellar, leaving the cellar pitch dark. Then mother would ask me to go into the cellar and get a jar of canned vegetables. I had dreams of snakes, skunks, big ghosts, and mean skeletons waiting to kill me there.
One night the bulb was unscrewed and I couldn’t reach it. I shook with fear.
Isaiah gives us hope in the dark cellars of our lives. “Rise up in splendor. Your light has come. The glory of the Lord shines upon you.” The glory of the Lord is the beauty of God shining forth like the many facets of colors of the rainbow. At Epiphany we see how broadly he will shine: “I am the light of the world.”
Let us pray: Loving Father, grasp my hands. Lift me out of the shadows of my life. Help me to see the light of your face. That’s all I need. Take away my fears. Open my eyes to your glory.
Today’s reflection is by Glenmary Father Wil Steinbacher, missionary priest and leader.
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