Light

Light
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” - John 1:5

 It happened again. This time, it was at a Catholic church and school in Minneapolis. Babies in a worship service, beginning a new school year. I can feel their excitement and their anticipation. I experience it with our own students every year. It’s become a very familiar buzz, a vibration of excitement and expectation that is not quite like anything else. The binders and the pencils are new. So are most of the lunchboxes. The uniforms are crisp, no rips, tears or stains. The smiles are wide; the eyes are bright. Oh, it is a vibrant, joyous time. And for those children on that day, it was shattered by blood and violence. I cry every time it happens. I’m crying right now.
 
Our minds ask the age-old question: Why? But our hearts know the answer, really. It’s evil. Evil exists. It exists because of sin; and whether or not we like to admit it, it exists, to some extent, in every human heart. Deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, Scripture tells us. Oh, most of us would never hurt a child. Most of us would never dream of shooting into the sanctuary of a church, of all things. I mean, it’s called a sanctuary for a reason. It’s supposed to be safe. Those babies were supposed to be safe. But they weren’t. And even though we would never do such a depraved and despicable thing, we still have dark places in us, places that cause us to have angry thoughts and commit selfish actions and all of the rest.
 
One example of our own darkness is what happens in the aftermath of every such event: politics. From the right and from the left, within hours if not minutes of tragedy, come the pundits and the politicians and the panderers and the pulpit bullies. Nobody should have guns. Everybody should have guns. It’s a mental health issue. It’s a public policy issue. It’s because of broken families. It’s because of left-wing ideology. It’s because of right-wing ideology. Sometimes I wish I could gather them all together for one giant, collective “Shut. Up.” Because honestly, it is none of the above. It’s just…darkness. Darkness of the spiritual variety, I mean.
 
I know a lot of people who are fond of asking folks what their “life verse” is. I don’t honestly have one. It’s hard to pick just one verse out of the Bible as a guide for life. But when pressed, I will answer with the verse above. If you could only ever memorize one verse, John 1:5 might be the best one. In it is all hope and assurance. Think of a room that is utterly dark. No windows, no crack beneath a door, nothing. Utter blackness. You are sitting in this room. And all you have is a very small candle and a match. You light the candle, and the room is no longer in utter darkness. The light may be small and feeble, but it overcomes darkness, every time.
 
It seems as if darkness is everywhere, but really, it’s light. The adults and older children at Annunciation who threw their bodies atop smaller bodies were light. The police, the parents, the church and school leaders, the medical personnel who came to the rescue—all light. There is light. There will always be light, and it will never be overcome by darkness. That’s a promise, friends.
 
It’s popular these days to say that thoughts and prayers are not the answer. In fact, prayer is the answer. It’s the only answer. So pray. Pray with all your might against darkness. Pray that the light of Christ will shine ever and ever brighter, even on the darkest days and in the darkest times. Share the light everywhere. Love big. Be the hands and feet of Christ. Hold tight to hope and faith. Be light. It’s the only thing that will never be overcome.
 
Peace.
Jackie