In pursuit of Light

There is Light.

We must pursue it so that it will warm our hearts and breaks open our moods.

If you seek the Light, it will be felt in the warmth of your friendship,
                                                             the sincerity of your promises,
                                                                  the authenticity of your commitments.

Light will overcome all darkness,
and drive all guilt away.

Light will be for you better than riches,
for you will be wise beyond your years,
and content beyond the ability of words to express.

Turning darkness into light

We read in Isaiah 42:16: I will lead the blind on their journey; by paths unknown I will guide them. I will turn darkness into light before them, and make crooked ways straight. These things I do for them, and I will not forsake them.

What does it mean to turn darkness into light? It means being able to understand the dark things in life with a different perspective, a bigger view, and a deeper understanding.

Take the concept of pain and suffering. Before the coming of Jesus, such incidents in life were looked upon as punishments. But Jesus took those same human conditions, and taught his followers to find the pearl of great price hidden beneath the field of human misery. He showed us that nothing that happens to us is sterile, let along a punishment. He invites us to surrender to his message, in order to see the light hidden in the darkness.

It is interesting to note that Isaiah doesn't say, I will lead them out of darkness into light, but I will turn darkness into light. This implies that darkness is not something we can dispel forever. It will visit and haunt us throughout our lives. It is for us to grapple with it, and in that struggle, find the jewel it offers.

John Tauler says that being drawn to God through sorrow is a safer way than [being drawn] through joy. This in itself is a hard saying, but the meaning is clear. No pain or suffering need be fruitless. There is, in the Divine plan, a way to turn all darkness into light. For those of us who are Christians, it means being able to see things differently, to look beyond the superficial and realize there is a lesson to be learned, a grace offered, a moment of self-reflection to be gotten from this setback.

Believe in your calling

I the Lord have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement and from the dungeon those who live in darkness. Isaiah 42:6-7


This quote is often used to describe the mission of Jesus. But we should realize, it is also addressed to each and every one of us. We are called forth to be witnesses, to release those held strong in some kind of bondage. How? But living out what we believe, simply and honestly.

We must not doubt the power of a life lived in genuine faithfulness. God walks this earth, often in our own hearts. We may never know the gift we might give a person on the brink of despair whose path we crossed, the one we stopped to chat with for a few moments and offer a bit of comfort or concern. But there are times when such acts offer that person a new light toward a different path.

It does happen.

Don't cheat your destiny. Go forward with trust and faith. You are being called to be a witness. Remember, God has you by the hand, and has great plans for you. Plans for your building up, not for your casting down. You can be an instrument of grace.

The right journey

There's not much rest. We walk as strangers in this foreign land with no rest and yet this  uphill road leads to the light of home. The night is far spent. The day is at hand. writes Madeleine L'Engle. Her words mirror the thoughts of many spiritual writers...that life here on earth has to be hard, following the spirit means suffering, that pain must become a constant companion.

With such thoughts, it's no wonder some are turned away from Christianity. Who wants to live like that?

Catherine of Siena writes that all the way to heaven is heaven. This certainly contradicts the thoughts of Madeleine L'Engle, and those spiritual writers who portray life as only a journey in pain. Heaven should start here and now, with peace and joy, tranquility and enjoyment. All trials and tribulations should be fleeting, like a flat tire, or the need to fill up on gas!  Life is more! It is moments of light, grace, and awe. It is the pilgrim learning the Divine. 

If that doesn't bring joy and grace, then I think you are on the wrong journey!

Accepting what the journey brings

Seeing and not seeing. It's often a topic on Monastic Ponderings. We become conscious because we want to see. We practice compassion so that our hearts will respond better and know more. We meditate so that we are aware. It all implies a willingness to journey. But there is another aspect to our journey: a willingness to accept what that journey brings.

It happens that sometimes we fail to see, not because we are spiritually blind, but because we don't like what we see. The product is not what we expected, we'd hoped for more, or less, or better. We find ourselves in disbelief that after all we've done, this is the result? And so our journey has brought us to a point we do not want to be, with a decision we do not want to make, and a revelation we would rather not have. It is natural to resist.

It just goes to show that no one ever "arrives" at a place where struggle ceases, despite all the rhetoric to the contrary. The journey will always have its challenges, and we will always have choices. Paul complained about his own battles, about the struggle, and doing those things he did not want to do while not doing the things he planned. And the reply he received was "My grace is sufficient for you."

We are pilgrims in this life, and we should know that faith will carry us forward. For revelation can be having our expectations thwarted so that what we think is replaced by what really is. It's worth a thought. And isn't that what the journey is about anyway?

Remaining naked before our God

In the spiritual life, we have a standing invitation to become and remain naked before God. It is the message that starts in the book of Genesis, where we see humans trying to “hide” from God because, as scripture records, “we saw that we were naked, and we were afraid.” The fear wasn’t being naked, but being naked before God. And we cannot help but wonder, why such foolishness?

We make that choice ourselves, every time we decide we cannot bear the truth, and decide to hide instead. It comes, not when we think we are above ground and on an even keel with God, but when we feel less than what we should be, and think hiding will protect us. Yet who was ever was healed by hiding?  We are only healed when we stand in the light and acknowledge our very real selves.

Light and grace comes to us when we decide to be naked before God by choosing to know rather than remain ignorant, to accept responsibility instead of turning a blind eye, to acknowledge our role rather than deny our part.  

Nakedness is essential to a real relationship with the Divine. It is our ability to walk with God, instead of hiding and pretending, being ashamed in front of the one who already knows. It is living in light, not in darkness. For the attempt to hide is as empty as darkness itself.  It offers us nothing but the spooks of our imagination.

Let us enjoy the light by standing truthfully before God. It is only then that we will be clothed in light, a light that reveals. 

The choice is ours. Will you become naked before God?

God always gives more

O happy fault we sing during the Easter Vigil. What a concept! In effect we are saying, it was good for us to fail, because look at what we got! A far greater gift than what we had from the beginning. It is the prodigal son getting the complete banquet, the 11^th hour laborer getting a full day’s pay, the woman at the well receiving water that lasts forever. 

This is how God treats us. Easter is full of light because it tells us our previous concepts of God have been far off the mark. God does not stand in judgment over us. He pursues us with grace and riches, waiting only for us to turn toward him before showering his gifts upon us.

O happy fault, we sing. Night truly blessed because heaven is wedded to earth. No longer do we need to look up to find God, we can look in. God is here to stay. We need look no further than our own hearts and souls.

Genesis has God’s first words of creation be, “let there be light.” The Divine continues to utter these words, only now in our own souls. Divinity would have light illuminate our lives, bring us understanding and peace. We only need to be aware of presence and seek. 

God stands ready to gives us more than we ask. Let us open to receive.

The Stars of Darkness

Today's reading for services focused on light, and how we as believers can become a light for others. As I reflect on the different types of light, an interesting thought came to me. What light guides us? The sun? No, that tells us the time of day, and a general direction of east, south and west. But what light gives the greatest guidance? Is it not the stars?

Furthermore, stars shine day and night, but we only see them when the sun sets. The darker the sky, the brighter the stars. And they are brightest on a moonless night. For years, navagators used the stars to guide them, giving them precise directions, charting them through areas where there was no other land mark to guide them.

I would like to suggest the same can be true for our lives. When life seems dark, we have a greater capacity for direction, inspiration, guidance. We shine brighter, because when we keep faith during crisis, others know our faith and trust is more than mere words. Often it is when we experience darkness that we receive our greatest inspirations, most wonderous thoughts, deepest poems and profound creations. It's as though we too pierce the veil better when the bright light no longer shines.

None of us like darkness. I would rather be lit by the sun than navigate by the stars. But, as in all things, nature has something to teach us, that wherever we are in life, God's purpose can be fulfilled. And we should cling to this knowledge, that darkness is not dark to God. Because, in darkness, you can be an even greater light to those around you, to your family and friends, even to yourself.

Stars of night, shining bright, teach us to treasure our times to shine, that we too may become beacons for those wandering and in need of a light.

Darkness is Not Dark

Seeing and not seeing. It's often a topic here on Monastic Ponderings. We become conscious because we want to see. We practice compassion so that our hearts will respond better and know more. We meditate so that we are aware. It all implies a willingness to journey. But there is another aspect to our journey: a willingness to accept what that journey brings us.

It happens that sometimes we fail to see, not because we are spiritually blind, but because don't like what we see. The product is not what we expected, we'd hoped for more, or less, or better. We find ourselves in disbelief that after all we've done, this is the result? And so our journey has brought us to a point we do not want to be, with a decision we do not want to make, and a revelation we do not like. The resistance can be ever so slight, but resistance it is.

It just goes to show that no one ever "arrives" at a place where struggles cease, despite all the contrary rhetoric . The journey will always have its challenges, and we will always have choices. Paul complained about his own battles, and the reply he received was "My grace is sufficient for you."

Perhaps this is the meaning of psalm 139:12 Darkness is not dark for you, and night shines as the day. What we worry about is of little importance, because we often get it totally wrong. Knowing this should help. For revelation can be having our expectations thwarted so that what we think is replaced by what is. It's worth the thought. And isn't that what the journey is about anyway?

Light Shines in Darkness

Light shines brightest when there is darkness all around. Let the light of your faith shine forth this Christmas Season, that all may know the reason for your joy and your celebration. For you never know the soul who sits in darkness, and needs the light. You may be the one sent to comfort that soul.

Hearing the Soft Whisper

Reading psalm 36, I came across the verse: For with you is the fountain of life, and in your light we see light. Then I stumbled across this verse in Ephesians 5:14 for everything exposed to the light becomes light itself. Certainly, this is no secret, that we find light in the Godhead. But I think it is saying more.

I think it is asking us to check out our sources. For instance, how often do we seek light in some guru, or a written work, or perhaps even within ourselves. Not that this is wrong. We need help along the way, all the help we can get. But lets not forget, we have the Godhead right inside our soul, and that divinity is ready to help us along far more than any friend, book or guru. We must awaken our sense to this presence, so that we recognize the light, the inspirations, the soft whisper of God in our soul

Obviously, this takes time. But it won't happen if you don't begin here, return here often, and in time, seek this source of light before and above all others. The words of Jesus The truth will set you free can only come after we have recognized and lived by the light. And no one knows what God wants to whisper in the ear of our soul. For that whisper is saved for you alone.