Be a Light for Christ

[A quick word about Holy Scripture.  There are many translations of the Bible in use today.  I use the New American Bible Catholic Edition (NAB) and the New International Version (NIV).]

The imagery of Light appears from the very first words of the Bible.  It is literally in the opening of the first book of the Bible – Genesis.

“In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters.   Then God said: Let there be light, and there was light.   God saw that the light was good. God then separated the light from the darkness.  God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” Evening came, and morning followed—the first day."  (Genesis 1:1-4)(NAB).

St. John the Apostle echoes Genesis in his opening to his Gospel. In the very opening of his Gospel, St. John tells us:

 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”  (John 1:1-5)(NIV)

Christ is that “light of all mankind” and his light will never be overcome by the darkness. 

Jesus brings up the theme of light several times as recorded in the Gospel of St. John.  In the Third Chapter of St. John’s Gospel, Jesus says,

 “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”  (John 3:19-21)(NAB).

Jesus again brought up the topic of light while preaching on the Mount of Olives.  In St. John’s Gospel, we read, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘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)(NIV)

The theme of light also appears in St. Matthew’s Gospel.  During his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preached about light:

 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”  (Matthew 5:14-16)(NIV)

We live in a world that is getting darker by the moment.  The sin that entered the world through Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden is strangling humanity in the present day.  There is great darkness in our world:  abortion, greed, sexual deviance, sexual promiscuity, transgenderism, euthanasia, corruption in our political systems, corruption in our Church, violence, exploitation and degradation of humans of all ages, atheism, war, human trafficking, just to name a few.  In many ways, humanity under instigation of Satan has at best turned its back on God and at worst, has declared outright disobedience and even war on God.

As dark as our world is, there is hope.  There is light.  Christ tells us “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”  He is that light and he will not be overcome by anything in this world.

The Psalmist tells us “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?  The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)(NAB).

In these troubling times of darkness and sin, we must be a “Light for Christ.”  We must open ourselves to his light and we must share his light with others to counter the darkness around us.   We must be the “Light for Christ” that inspires hope amidst despair, courage amidst fear, righteousness amidst sin, strength amidst persecution, and faith amidst doubt and disbelief.