Let the "Light of the World" Shine Through You
"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.”
(Isaiah 9:1)
Does the Light of Christ shine through you?
At Christmas we celebrate the birth of God’s Word, the Second Person of the Trinity, incarnated in the human person of Jesus, who is the Christ, the “Light of the World. Whoever follows [Christ] will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (Jn 8:12).
Christ’s Light manifests and shines forth in love, truth, humility, self-sacrifice, goodness, beauty, joy, compassion, peace, justice, healing, kindness, generosity, gentleness, forgiveness, mercy, and salvation for the world. Through God’s grace, the Light of Christ already dwells within each of us, at the core of our being.
However, like a densely compressed piece of coal, our hearts can become hardened through our inordinate attachments to possessions, power, prestige, and sensual pleasures so that we do not experience the inherent brilliance of the diamond that lies within the depths of our being, waiting to be unearthed and to sparkle.
Many in the world do not see, nor want to see, Christ’s Light. Rather, they choose to live in darkness, separating themselves from any relationship with God, and the People of God, for fear that their thoughts and actions will be exposed by the Light of Christ. However, Christ’s Light “shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not [and will not] overcome it” (Jn 1:5).
How do you begin to clear away the obstacles that prevent you from experiencing Christ’s Light dwelling within you? Are you willing to leave the darkness of your life and be exposed to and transformed by the Light of Christ; to repent and seek forgiveness of those thoughts, desires, ways, and actions that separate you from God; to let go and empty yourself of your inordinate attachments to things, possessions, power, control, prestige, or addictive sensual pleasures so as to provide space for God’s love to flourish within you, and for God to become the center of your life?
As followers of Jesus and members of the Body of Christ, we are individually and collectively called to give birth each moment of our lives to the Light of Christ—the Light of life—within us. We don’t create the Light but, with God’s grace, we open our heart, mind, soul and body—our entire being—to allow the Light of Christ to shine in us, with us, and through us.
Individually, we may only emit random sparks of Christ’s light. However, as others begin to join with us, the individual sparks can become a collective glow and then a roaring blaze of the Spirit’s fire that will penetrate the hearts of others, and enable them to give birth to the Light of Christ within them.
This Christmas, let us joyously celebrate and embrace the gift of Christ’s Light, Love, and Life to the world.