“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
There are different kinds of darkness. When most people think about “dark”, they would define it as an absence of light. While they would be correct. darkness is more than a physical reality.
Physical darkness, the absence of light, leaves us stumbling as we cannot see the way ahead of us. When our house or office is plunged into darkness because of a power outage, we might stub our toes or trip over something in our path because it was not illuminated. Sometimes the stumble is gentle. Other times, it can lead to a rather nasty fall, perhaps even incurring a broken bone or two.
Spiritual darkness, the absence of the light of Christ in our lives, leaves us exactly the same way: stumbling because we cannot see the way ahead of us. In this darkness, we face the danger of doing more than stubbing a toe. In this darkness, we face the danger of choosing the wrong path and leading ourselves not to the Kingdom of Light, Happiness, and Peace but to the kingdom of eternal death.
We can find ourselves in spiritual darkness for many reasons: grief, anxiety, fear, ignorance, or apathy, to name a few. These kinds of realities often take us down paths we would rather not travel.
We need the light of Christ to illuminate our lives. In today’s responsorial psalm for Monday of Holy Week, we pray the comforting words, “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?” (Ps 27:1)
We also reflect upon the fact that Christ has commissioned us to be light to the world as well. It is our responsibility not only to find the light but to share the light with others.
We all know people who are in darkness because of grief, anxiety, or fear. By our words and deeds, we can be a light that sets them upon the path that will lead them to the true light, Jesus Christ.
FAITH ACTION: Do you know someone who lives in darkness? Try to be a light to that person today.