March 19, 2023
God’s light fights to overcome human darkness
READINGS:
1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a, Ps 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6, Eph 5:8-14, Jn 9:1-41
Reflection:
Today, Paul’s letter to the Ephesians and the Gospel of John’s story of the healing and conversion of the man born blind assure us of two things: God’s light fights to overcome human darkness, and the forces of darkness resist the spread of divine light throughout humanity and all of creation.
Pope Francis has called us all to open our eyes to our mission to choose to become enlightened about the dire, dark crisis of climate change, and to choose to join God’s fight against human-caused darkness, and for inspiring insightful ways for humans to heal and sustain God’s brilliant creation. Our past unknowing blindness to broad ecological damage has become for some an intentional resistance to transforming humanity from spreading more darkness and death. Our scriptures today declare the sure possibility for us to open ourselves to the healing, converting light of God through Christ and the Church. Pope Francis points the way to make changes enlightening humanity and creation to go in a new direction toward that light for our world.
Prayer:
Creator God, Your creation comes from and expresses your life-giving Wisdom. You saw what you’d created and declared it good. We have lost sight of that Wisdom, preferring our own thinking that gives us practical power, convenience and comfort. We pray for the restoration of our sight, for the power to choose your Light and fight the darkness we’ve introduced into your creation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Action:
- Study Proverbs 8, Wisdom 9, and many psalms to learn about Wisdom as a personification of God in creating and maintaining and healing our creation.
- Pope Francis analyzes the blindness that our present human wisdom has inflicted on our societies. Study the Laudato Si’ encyclical for his diagnosis and treatment for our blindness to restore our sight.
- Talk with others about your concerns, discouragement, and hope in addressing our climate crisis.