I think I was 12 yrs. old when mom and dad took us on one of our rare family vacations. We went to Mammoth Cave in southern Kentucky. It is a magnificent cavern deep, deep in the ground, filled with stalactites and stalagmites and beautiful crystalline gems flashing brilliant colors throughout the cathedral like cavern.
There are many memories I have of this trip. One which sticks out the most, and one that still speaks to me fifty years later, is the sight of a school of brown trout swimming in an underground stream that flowed through the cave. Generations of these fish had lived on the floor of this darkened cave – – – dark, as in pitch black. Over time something very strange happened; with absolutely no light penetrating the cave these fish had lost their eyes. A thin round membrane covered what would have been the eye socket. It was natures way of saying “use ‘em or lose ‘em”.
So what’s this little Field and Stream article about? It’s about the light . . . and the dark. They are both at work in the world. Both would like to spread themselves as far as they can. Darkness is happiest when selfishness grows, anything that leads to fear and hopelessness is its friend. Despair and ultimately death are its kingdom. You and I feel its pull. We’re tempted to co-operate with the darkness because it’s easy and comfortable. We whisper things to ourselves like, “Who will know?”, “Everyone is doing it.”, “Oh what difference does it make?”, “It feels good, what’s wrong with it?” “God doesn’t care.” And all this likes to hide behind things and in corners that are . . . dark.
Light on the other hand wants to have a party. It invites everyone, no skin or race excluded. It is filled with joy because it is bathed in the truth and goodness.
It wants to see and be seen because what God has created is beautiful. It knows that the source of all that is . . is love. In this light we see and are seen, love and are loved. To walk in the light is why we were created.
Back to the fish for a minute. They too were created to see. But these fish had lived in darkness so long that they had lost their eyes. Darkness had blinded them permanently.
Likewise we humans were made to see, not just with the eyes in our head but by the light of our intellect we see this world. Jesus tells us “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12). But what if, like the fish, we chose to live in darkness? What if we give up on living in the light? Can we lose our ability “to see?” Scripture points to this possibility. “And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because of their deeds. . . (John 3:19).
Sooo? This Advent let’s choose the light. Where ever we go, whatever we are doing the choice is always there between light and darkness. (Do I rejoice in what is good or do I enjoy pointing out how bad things are? Am I willing to forgive or am I eager to “get even”? Do I stay faithful to my promise when things go bad or do I give up trying? Etc.)
As The Christopher’s Motto tells us “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.”
We light the fourth candle of Advent . . . soon He comes. See you at the Feast!
Fr. Tim
