Son Light
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son….And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light because their works were evil. (John 3:16; 19)
As a little girl my daughter Kate, now 24, refused to go to sleep at night without a light on. She imagined that every otherwise familiar object in her bedroom became some kind of goblin in the dark, poised to pounce on her as soon as the light switch was clicked off. At first she insisted the light had to be on in her room, but after while and after much cajoling, she relented and compromised on leaving the hallway light on with the door open 30 degrees or so.
Why is light so comforting? Watching logs burning in a fireplace relaxes us after a stressful day. The spokesman for “Motel 6” ends his folksy radio pitch with: “We’ll leave the light on for ya." People who have near death experiences describe mysteriously peaceful encounters with brilliant white light. During the long cold sunless winter months in places like gloomy Rochester, where depression is all too common, mental health professionals routinely prescribe light therapy for sunlight deprivation, clinically known as “Seasonal Affective Disorder,” but commonly known by its appropriately descriptive acronym: “SAD.”
Poets use metaphors like spark of genius, torch of freedom, beacon of hope, lamp of knowledge and light at the end of the tunnel. In the beginning God creates light before anything else and speaks to Moses on Mt. Sinai from a bush that burns without being consumed. At the Transfiguration, bathed in supernatural light, Jesus’ clothes become dazzlingly white. At Pentecost the Holy Spirit descends in tongues of flames. And in today’s gospel from John we’re hear that Jesus, God’s love incarnate and giver of eternal life, is the “light of the world.”
Unlike light which soothes and comforts, darkness is ominous and foreboding as it was for Kate. Recall, if you will, the scariest scene of your favorite horror flick. What’s the lighting condition at the time of that blood-curdling scream?
Evildoers are more brazen in the dark, which explains why most crimes occur at night. Incidences of suicide, drug overdose, spousal and child abuse increase after dark. To describe profound spiritual anguish, 16th century Spanish mystic, St. John of the Cross coined the phrase “dark night of the soul.” “Prince of darkness” describes the devil. Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Elie Wiesel entitled his chilling personal account of the unspeakable evil committed during World War II at death camps like Auschwitz and Buchenwald: “Night.”
Darkness and light are powerful images common in every religious tradition. The prophet Isaiah was particularly masterful in their usage as in this passage: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone (Is. 9:1). For Christians, of course, Isaiah’s “great light” is God entering human history as the Son. And yes, in case you’re wondering, the pun is intentional! Why is light so comforting? Because like air and water it’s essential to human life, indeed, to all life.
During the rite of baptism, the celebrant hands a lit candle to the parent or godparent and says these words: "Receive the light of Christ. This light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly. This child of yours has been enlightened by Christ. She is to walk always as a child of the light. May she keep the flame of faith alive in her heart." Light like love, you see, is meant to shine forth, to illuminate everything and everyone in its path.
How do we walk as children of the light? By reflecting the Son. And how do we reflect the Son? By loving God and loving neighbor. Evildoers, metaphorically speaking, eclipse the Son. As darkness is the absence of light, evil and sin are the absence of love.
Earlier this month I attended the annual dinner of the regional chapter of the National Association of Social Workers which presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to my good friend Mary Hannick, a legend in the local human services community. Mary was instrumental in establishing Hope for Kids, the not-for-profit entity created to raise funds for Monroe County’s Juvenile Drug Treatment Court. She almost single handedly recruited its board of directors and has worked tirelessly to assist the Court in its work of reclaiming the lives of juvenile drug users. But that’s only one of her latest efforts.
Mary’s extraordinary lifetime of service began as a Red Cross volunteer during World War II where she did hospital social work. Returning to Rochester after the War, and after attending the Nuremburg Trials, she gave up a cushy 9 to 5 job at Eastman Kodak for something a little more challenging and time consuming – running the Genesee Settlement House in northeast Rochester for 24 years. For an encore she served 8 years as Director of the Charles Settlement House.
According to Mary there are no “underprivileged children,” only “under chanced” ones and she has a remarkable gift for providing chances to thousands of kids from challenged families, helping them achieve their full God-given potential. Many of those kids are now leaders of our community who credit her with their success.
Mary “retired” in 1971, but certainly not from serving others. She’s on the Board of Directors for Catholic Family Center, Volunteers of America, Restart, and the Advisory Committee for Nazareth College’s Social Work Department, where she still mentors social work students, and is an honorary Board Member for Mary Cariola Children’s Center as well as Girl Scouts of the Genesee Valley. In 1992, Catholic Family Center named its Newark, New York women’s residence for recovering drug users and their pre-school children -- “Hannick Hall.” And the list goes on and on.
Incredibly, this 98 pound, barely five foot tall dynamo of a woman, is three years shy of her 100th birthday! I’m convinced that God has gifted her with long life so she can continue to “enlighten” the lives of more and more people, mine included. As a concession to fading eyesight, Mary only just recently gave away her car. She confided to a friend that it may also be time to give up her apartment and move into a nursing home. Whereupon her friend replied: “God help the nursing home!”
Lent is a time to measure the intensity of the light we’re reflecting and make whatever changes are necessary to increase our candlepower. Drawing from our cosmic source, it’s a time to recharge our spiritual batteries through almsgiving, prayer and fasting, so we, like Mary Hannick and so many others, can help illuminate the darkness of the world. We can shine like the Son or hide our light under a bushel basket. The choice is ours.
Anthony J. Sciolino
Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23/32
Ephesians 2:4-10; John 3:14-21.
4th Sunday in Lent
March 26, 2006. (Cycle B)