Photo by Vladimir Fedotov on Unsplash
Now that we are in the space before the winter solstice, where daylight savings time has pushed us squarely back into the darkest time of the year, I find myself drawn to the patches of warm light all around: streetlights, candles, and Christmas trees twinkling in yards and windows. In the same way that we know that dawn is just over the horizon, our posture is expectant. This feels intuitive and instinctual.
We await the light
Whether we do so out of fear of the dark, impatience for what comes next, or stubborn hope that what was promised will come, wait we do. For all of the good the past year has held, there has been a large share of darkness, too. Seasonal or not, many find themselves fumbling and discouraged in the dark. My prayer recently has been for the world and light. I thank God for those who bring light–whose presence offers light. I pray for those who are in search of light and ask for opportunities to share light. It has provided a reminder of the Spanish phrase for giving birth, which is very much the same: Dar Luz, directly translated: Giving the light.
And I couldn’t help but get lost in the imagery that whether we carry a child, the gifts we share at work, or the load we bear with our neighbors, aren’t we doing the same? Aren’t we all walking around bearing a little light to a world living in darkness? Perhaps we do not notice it, and likely we are not at our best at all times, but if the Incarnation means anything, it means a particular dignity marks each of our encounters with another, especially in seasons of darkness.
The incarnation began with Jesus and it has never stopped…God takes on flesh so that every home becomes a church, every child becomes the Christ-child, and all food and drink become a sacrament. God’s many faces are now everywhere in flesh, tempered and turned down so that our human eye can see him. -Ronald Rolheiser
Never is the Light of the World more tangible than in this season where we (in the northern hemisphere) find ourselves physically distanced from the sun. On the heels of the Immaculate Conception, we honor the one who showed us what it meant to truly Dar Luz: Mary. Long before and ever since the world has been searching for a glimpse of that which illuminates: The Light of the World, Emmanuel
Oil as the source of light
Earlier in the year I had the privilege of attending a retreat. The theme for the weekend was the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins (Matthew 25: 1-13). Maybe that is where the light imagery began for me–thoughts of being called upon in the middle of the night, with or without my lamp lit. Memories of the comfort it is to come into the light having been in the dark, and the deep awareness that it may be our faith, our light that is called upon in a time of need.
If you’re familiar with this parable, it is a bit of a letdown. The wise virgins uncharacteristically do not share their oil in this Gospel story, and advise their ‘unwise’ companions to head into town where they can procure their own. In this case, the wise women cannot share their oil, a metaphor for the faith with which they have been awaiting the bridegroom. Their faith simply cannot be doled out. Ask anyone who desires a loved one coming to faith. The oil they seek is not for sale in the market. Instead it is a hope that has been fostered and tended to over time.
Light as a byproduct of faith
But the light? The light cannot be contained. Although we cannot give away the source of our hope, the byproduct of that oil kept burning, that is something that can be shared far and wide. It can scarcely be contained.
On a clear night, the light from one candle can be seen from a distance of a mile and a half. To imagine that the lives we lead, and our daily encounters go unnoticed by those in our midst is as unlikely as it is false.
As we approach Gaudete Sunday, I find myself feeling gratitude for those who bear their light, their gifts, and their children with a dark and weary world. Similarly, may we be encouraged to do the same.
The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. -John 1:5
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