The Light of the World

By Fr. Christopher Foeckler, MJ • Phoenix, AZ

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

The first five verses of St. John’s Prologue are a beautiful hymn of praise to the divinity and eternity of the Word Incarnate who was with God in the beginning, consubstantial with God since He was God. They also acknowledges His creative power as part of the Trinity, for everything has life from Him and nothing has life apart from Him since He is Life itself and all creation has life in Him – both natural and supernatural. It proclaims as well His redemptive power since this Life is the Light of the human race that shines on those who dwell in the darkness of sin and the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace. And the darkness has not overcome the light. 

Darkness can never overcome light where it is present, since darkness is the absence of light. Yet, people can prefer the darkness because their works are evil, “For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.” 

That we celebrate Christmas on the darkest day of the solar year (in our hemisphere) symbolizes the Light of Christ engaging the darkest of the darkness in our world and overcoming it wherever its light penetrates! Of course, the real darkness of the world is not from nightfall, but from sin – the rejection of the Light. 

So we who welcome the Light with joy should spend a lot of time in the presence of the Light in prayer before a Nativity scene, at Mass, in adoration or by the rosary reflecting on the mysteries of the birth of Christ thus allowing the light of Christ to warm our hearts with His grace and enlighten our minds with His Truth. In this way can we be a light in the darkness of the world for others to see and be able to come to it as well. “I am the light of the world, says the Lord, he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”. 

Merry Christmas to all our readers! May the Good Lord and His dear Mother Mary enlighten your lives and those of your loved ones with His grace, wisdom and joy!