REFLECTION FOR TODAY,
December 31, 2020
By Fr. Andrew Ibegbulem, OSA
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. John 1:3–5
By becoming human, Jesus enters into the darkness of the world’s sin, and into our lives to show us the Father’s love and give us his grace. He is a light shining for us, and through him, we now know the truth about the Father. We who believe in his name are now children of God.
Our gospel reference today speak about the power of light over darkness. Within the material world, there is much we can learn about our Divine Lord from the physical phenomenon of light and darkness.
If we briefly consider light and darkness from the perspective of physics, we know that the two are not two opposing forces fighting with each other. Rather, darkness is simply the absence of light. Where there is no light, there is darkness. Similarly, heat and cold are the same way. Cold is nothing other than the absence of heat. Introduce heat and the cold disappears.
These basic laws of the physical world also teach us about the spiritual world. Darkness, or evil, is not some powerful force fighting against God; rather, it’s the absence of God. Satan and his demons do not try to impose a dark power of evil on us; rather, they seek to extinguish the presence of God in our lives by getting us to reject God through our choices, thus leaving us in spiritual darkness.
This is a very significant spiritual truth to understand, because where there is spiritual Light, the Light of God’s grace, the darkness of evil is dispelled. This is clearly seen in the line “and the darkness has not overcome it.” Overcoming the evil one is as easy as inviting the Light of Christ into our lives and not allowing fear or sin to turn us from the Light.
As we come to the last day of the year 2020, we will think about how this year has turned out. We might even be tempted to say: O God, can you please reboot 2020. The one that you sent had a virus! So, if we really could, would we really want to go back in time and start 2020 all over again?
No matter what this year had turned, as Christians, we must stand firm in our faith that Jesus has always been with us and will always be with us, no matter how rough and tough the days ahead may be. It is our faith in Jesus that we can have the hope and the courage to look forward to the days to come. The future is in the hands of Jesus. Let us thank Him for being our Savior and He will bestow us with grace upon grace. His light will always overcome the darkness of the word.
Reflect, today, upon the very real spiritual battle that takes place each and every day within your soul. But reflect upon it in the truth of this Gospel passage. The battle is easily won. Invite Christ the Light, and His Divine Presence will quickly and easily replace any darkness within.
Lord, Jesus, You are the Light Who dispels all darkness. You are the Eternal Word Who answers every question in life. I invite You into my life this day so that Your Divine Presence may fill me, consume me and lead me down the path toward eternal joys. Jesus, I trust in You.