Christ Our Light

AS WE enter a New Year we can be encouraged by those words of Isaiah we heard at Mass last Sunday: ‘The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light’. Our fading memory of Christmas must not allow that light to fade.
The light that dawned on the world was the power and glory of God, now seen in Christ Jesus. It is through his life, death and resurrection that we find ourselves able to look at things in a new light, a kinder, more sympathetic light.
Through Christ we can begin to look at everything in the light of truth and love, sensitive to any situation that doesn’t quite ring true; conscious of the need to handle events in a truly loving way, seeing people as more important than possessions, individuals more important than ideas.
We need help with this. If we’re honest with ourselves we have to admit that we often find difficulty in seeing the truth – particularly about ourselves. We can be blind to the truth in so many ways. Sometimes because we don’t have all the facts, and are disinclined to search for them; sometimes the facts are clear but we are blinkered by jealousy and prejudice; sometimes we refuse to face the facts because we’re afraid we won’t show up in a very good light.
This is a far cry from the Christian vision of ‘living the truth in love’, living in reality with love in its fullest sense – that is, wanting what is good for the other person as well, doing what is for
the other person’s good. We need the help of prayer for this, help to become more sensitive towards others. Our self-centredness can become so dominant we are simply unaware of how inconsiderate we are – and most indignant if accused of it!
This is the darkness of a world without Christ. The light of Christ shows up our weakness – yet only to heal. This kind of light rarely comes in a flash, illuminating the whole scene with absolute clarity. It’s more like the car headlights on a misty night, helping us to keep going, avoiding dangers on the way.
It’s a gradual illumination of the way ahead. It is a light that glows more brightly as we become more familiar with Scripture and Tradition, when we listen more openly to the Church’s teaching.
‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand’ is another way of saying ‘Change your mind and heart from seeing everything in a self-centred way, to seeing things more in the way God sees them, learning to think and judge and act according to God’s way, a Christlike way.’
We all find it difficult to change. It’s easier to sit back and criticize others. It’s less trouble to leave the difficult questions to someone else, not venturing beyond the security of what is familiar. But of course, that leaves us in precisely the kind of darkness Christ came to dispel. In his light we see light, a light to guide us towards the fullness of life, in company with all those of good will. 30/12/11 Peter Knott SJ