By Sister Delia Dowling, SSND
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. (Psalm 139)
How can this be? How can darkness and light be the same to God?
The prophets had some understanding of this mystery:
The Lord will no more be your light by day…for the Lord will be your everlasting light. Isaiah 60:19-20
The coming day will be a day known only to the Lord – with no distinction between day and night. Zechariah 14:7
Early in his ministry, Jesus proclaimed, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
But wait. Jesus also tells us:
You are the Light of the World.
Let your light shine before all.
Do not hide your light.
We cannot let the darkness of despair, ageism, inaction or any other condition darken our light.
We have received the Light of Life.
All is light, the eternal light that illumines darkness.
Let us deepen our efforts to live in light, as an intercultural Province faith community of one mind and one heart.
Let us not let the darkness be dark.
Let light and darkness be one.
