Homily reflection: 4th Sunday Lent - Light and Darkness

Light and Darkness - Get Rid of the Darkness

Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23; Psalm 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6; Ephesians 2:4-10; John 3:14-21

At our weekly Bible Study, each of us chose a parable from Mark chapter 4 to discuss.

Jeanne chose the parable of the sower and explained it beautifully. She suggested that we are the ground. We are hard, rocky, thorny, or fertile soil during different times of our lives. We can become better soil or stay as we are. She offered that prayer changes us and our lives. Changing the type of soil we are and who we are; this is the power of prayer. Then Jeanne apologized for not being a good teacher.

Daniel led the discussion on the parable of the lamp that is put under the bushel basket. In his teaching on the parable, Daniel said that the light is in us and that we hide that light. The light reflects in us and we are to let it shine.  

We can find Christ’s light in our life, if we get rid of the darkness.

These were great things to think about when considering Jesus’ words to Nicodemus. “The light came into the world, but people preferred darkness.”  Jesus is telling Nicodemus that despite the light of God’s presence in the world, people forget God.

In human imperfection, people tend to prefer the darkness. We live in our selves and seek darkness to cover imperfection. In the darkness we ignore the light of Christ and His miracles in our life. Miracles that are everywhere but so many can’t see them because of the darkness. Jesus explained it simply, “. . . people prefer darkness.” 

In darkness people live forgetting about God. Look at our first readings; this is how the people were living in exile; living in darkness. They stopped listening to God. Yet, God’s grace was with them and came through an unexpected source - King Cyrus. King Cyrus told them go home and worship God.

Today people live exiled from God. People go through the motions of faith. People rarely pray because they don’t think it will do any good. They take care of their needs rather than depending on God to take care of them. If they get sick they may pray but they go to the doctor. If they need money, they might pray, but they’ll look for a second job. If good things happen they give credit to people not God.  

People don't see that good things happen by the grace of God. The see it as a result of their own actions. So people put more faith in the stock market than anything Jesus said about money. And so many people in this country will call themselves Christian but they put more allegiance to the United States than in loyalty to Christ.

Yet even with all this, Paul tells us we are blessed, “In the ages to come He might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”  Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world, is God’s presence and God’s grace.

And God works in extraordinary ways. God came to the exiles in the command of the Persian King. In the same extraordinary way, He does things in our lives. His grace is the source of miracles. It is through grace that the physician can heal us; it is through grace that are needs are met and we are then able to share our excess with those who need. And Jesus Christ is God’s light and grace manifest in the world.

But, it’s in our everyday life that miracles are most abundant. His light comes to us is in the everyday things; like that every other Monday night bible study. Maybe the everyday miracle is just waking up; the hug of a child; the hello from a stranger; or just getting to work or school safe. So many people don’t see these as the work of the light that comes into the world, because, they prefer the darkness.

Now what does this have to do with the parable teachings of Daniel and Jeanne.

Daniel says that the light is in us. As soon as we take that basket off the light of Christ that is in each of us, he will dispel the darkness in us and in others.

Jeanne humbly taught that we don’t have to stay the same. We can rid ourselves of the darkness that causes us to be poor soil through prayer. Jeanne who so humbly felt she was not a teacher taught this, It is those of us who strive to live our lives in the grace of His light find God in our ordinary experiences.

We can find Christ’s light in our life, if we get rid of the darkness.

That's what Lent is all about, leaving the darkness and finding Christ in our life. We are God’s handiwork created in Jesus Christ. We will receive the good works created for us. These are the everyday miracles found in His light. And as St. Paul says – We should live in them.