“And God said, ‘Let there be light’: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. – Genesis 1:3-4
Fear of the dark is perhaps the most primitive fear of man. It is the earliest form of fear that we experience. It is a normal occurrence that a child at a certain age experiences fear of the dark. It is a universal notion that in darkness lurks something sinister. Thus, children fear to enter dark rooms for fear of ghosts, monsters and evil spirits that are likely to manifest in the dark. Moreover, in darkness we feel helpless against the danger that might be lurking within. Also, to walk in the dark we may stumble and fall. But a flick of a switch instantly lights a darkened room that instantly banishes our fear. And light illumines the path we walk on so that we may not stumble and fall.
While we outgrow our fear of the dark, other fears set in. At close scrutiny however, all fear stem from the fear of the unknown. This fear manifest due to lack of awareness or ignorance. Hence, we may no longer fear the physical darkness around us yet we now have to confront the greater darkness within us, ignorance.
It has been said that the greatest sin in the world is ignorance. Since all are sinners, we experience at some points in our life the impact of our lack of knowledge. An ignorant soul suffers trouble, disgrace, misfortune, despair, shame and guilt. We certainly wish we wouldn’t fall victim to any of these at any time. Yet, we are always vulnerable because in this world we can not be learned enough. Because of ignorance, figuratively speaking, dark is a soul in sin.
Light is the anti-thesis of dark. For “God divided the light from the darkness” stated in Genesis 1:4. Darkness is dispelled by light. As dark symbolizes evil, sin, ignorance, void, deceit and death; light denotes goodness, grace, wisdom, wholeness, truth and life.
Light is the main element of vision. While in the dark we see nothing, light filters through our eyes that we may see clearly; to learn and understand more vividly. God is goodness and light. We may see Him but through the eyes of faith, someday we shall be granted the eternal vision of Him if we have lived life worthily to be at His presence. Although it is very difficult to live such a life in this world of darkness and deceit, God send His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to be the light of our souls darkened by sin. “In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shine in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. That was the true Light which lights every man that cometh into the world.” – John 1:4-5,9 Thus, there is a Catholic invocation for the soul of the departed asking God to “Let Your perpetual light shine upon him.” This is to pray for our departed brothers and sisters to be granted the beatific vision of God.
Hence, through Jesus Christ, we are saved from our own futile efforts to live life according to God’s will but by His grace it is possible for us to do so. Because of sin, we don’t see clearly and we are easy prey to the deceit of evil. However, the light of God’s truth overcomes the darkness of deceit; His Divine wisdom scatters the darkness of ignorance. The light of Christ illumines our soul that we may see clearly through the eyes of faith and direct our walk through the road we travel in life.
Let us pray.
You are the Light, O God. Illumine our soul darkened by sin. We seek the light of Your wisdom to dispel our ignorance; the light of Your truth to break the treachery of deceit; and the light of Your mercy and love to overcome our fears.
Lord, direct our path with Your guiding light. Let us not be dissuaded by the darkness around us. And if we are blinded by the darkness within us, may we have the grace to open our eyes of faith to see the vision of Your goodness.
Let Your light shine brightly from within us that we may be the bearers of Your light to others and make this dark world a brighter place until the end of time. We ask these through Jesus Christ, the Light of our life with the light of wisdom who is the Holy Spirit, one God forever. Amen.
Fear of the dark is perhaps the most primitive fear of man. It is the earliest form of fear that we experience. It is a normal occurrence that a child at a certain age experiences fear of the dark. It is a universal notion that in darkness lurks something sinister. Thus, children fear to enter dark rooms for fear of ghosts, monsters and evil spirits that are likely to manifest in the dark. Moreover, in darkness we feel helpless against the danger that might be lurking within. Also, to walk in the dark we may stumble and fall. But a flick of a switch instantly lights a darkened room that instantly banishes our fear. And light illumines the path we walk on so that we may not stumble and fall.
While we outgrow our fear of the dark, other fears set in. At close scrutiny however, all fear stem from the fear of the unknown. This fear manifest due to lack of awareness or ignorance. Hence, we may no longer fear the physical darkness around us yet we now have to confront the greater darkness within us, ignorance.
It has been said that the greatest sin in the world is ignorance. Since all are sinners, we experience at some points in our life the impact of our lack of knowledge. An ignorant soul suffers trouble, disgrace, misfortune, despair, shame and guilt. We certainly wish we wouldn’t fall victim to any of these at any time. Yet, we are always vulnerable because in this world we can not be learned enough. Because of ignorance, figuratively speaking, dark is a soul in sin.
Light is the anti-thesis of dark. For “God divided the light from the darkness” stated in Genesis 1:4. Darkness is dispelled by light. As dark symbolizes evil, sin, ignorance, void, deceit and death; light denotes goodness, grace, wisdom, wholeness, truth and life.
Light is the main element of vision. While in the dark we see nothing, light filters through our eyes that we may see clearly; to learn and understand more vividly. God is goodness and light. We may see Him but through the eyes of faith, someday we shall be granted the eternal vision of Him if we have lived life worthily to be at His presence. Although it is very difficult to live such a life in this world of darkness and deceit, God send His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to be the light of our souls darkened by sin. “In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shine in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. That was the true Light which lights every man that cometh into the world.” – John 1:4-5,9 Thus, there is a Catholic invocation for the soul of the departed asking God to “Let Your perpetual light shine upon him.” This is to pray for our departed brothers and sisters to be granted the beatific vision of God.
Hence, through Jesus Christ, we are saved from our own futile efforts to live life according to God’s will but by His grace it is possible for us to do so. Because of sin, we don’t see clearly and we are easy prey to the deceit of evil. However, the light of God’s truth overcomes the darkness of deceit; His Divine wisdom scatters the darkness of ignorance. The light of Christ illumines our soul that we may see clearly through the eyes of faith and direct our walk through the road we travel in life.
Let us pray.
You are the Light, O God. Illumine our soul darkened by sin. We seek the light of Your wisdom to dispel our ignorance; the light of Your truth to break the treachery of deceit; and the light of Your mercy and love to overcome our fears.
Lord, direct our path with Your guiding light. Let us not be dissuaded by the darkness around us. And if we are blinded by the darkness within us, may we have the grace to open our eyes of faith to see the vision of Your goodness.
Let Your light shine brightly from within us that we may be the bearers of Your light to others and make this dark world a brighter place until the end of time. We ask these through Jesus Christ, the Light of our life with the light of wisdom who is the Holy Spirit, one God forever. Amen.
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