CHRIST ILLUMINATION OF OUR LIVES

WEDNESDAY AFTER EPIPHANY SUNDAY

1 Jn 4:11-18; Ps 72:1-2,10-13; Mk 6:45-52

Truth purifies and illuminates our Minds

Our knowledge of the truth of the mystery of the Incarnation is like a source of light introduced into our minds. To believe that the Eternal Word became man and dwelt among us as one of us is to start a journey into the mystery of light. His Incarnation grants direct access to every human soul who makes an act of faith in his divinity. This belief connects us directly to the divine reality and helps us feed spiritually on his humanity, the Sacrament of salvation, given to our senses. Saint John testifies: “We ourselves saw and we testify that the Father sent his Son as saviour of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him, and he in God. We ourselves have known and put our faith in God’s love towards ourselves.” When we accept this testimony of the apostles and believe what they said about the Father sending his Son to be our saviour, we receive the Holy Spirit that accompanies the divine reality we believe in. He is the communion in the life of God. The new life he brings to us through faith is real and heavenly. The divine life grows in us only through the illumination of truth. Jesus gives the knowledge as the knowledge of the Father.

The light of Christ enters every aspect of our lives only when we introduce him into these various areas of our lives. Darkness remains in any area we keep away from him. There are areas of our lives we worry about. For example, some are disturbed about their relationships, finances, health, profession, security, protection from evil people and spirits, etc. These are areas of our lives the light of the word of God is yet to illuminate. We are to let our faith in Jesus Christ rearrange our feelings and thoughts concerning the various aspects of our lives. If we have come to the knowledge of the Father’s love, which Jesus reveals to us, then we should learn to rest assured that the Father will take care of every aspect of our needs when we confidently call him Father. Hence, we practice our faith not only when we relate with people but also when we think of ourselves and our well-being. The assurance of God’s love and providence does not come from external events or configuration of things outside but from within, where we listen to the Son revealing the Father to us through the Spirit. The love of the Father is first revealed within by the Holy Spirit, who unites with our spirit to deepen the intensity of love with which we call God Father. Then, the external configuration of things will correspond to the internal loving communion; his grace will modify us to accept the external configuration of things as a demonstration of the Father’s love for us.

We see an illustration of this understanding in the Gospel. The apostles found themselves in a difficult and trying moment. They were out in the lake, struggling to their destination against the wind and in the dark. “He could see they were worn out with rowing, for the wind was against them; and about the fourth watch of the night, he came towards them, walking on the lake. He was going to pass them by, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they had all seen him and were terrified.” They were terrified because they had not related their faith in him as a miracle worker to protection against forces of nature and evil as they were experiencing. They only knew him when he spoke to them in their situation. His words and presence illuminated the whole event and their minds, causing them to be astonished at him. The Evangelist added in confirmation of what we have said above, “They were utterly and completely dumbfounded because they had not seen what the miracle of the loaves meant; their minds were closed.” Their minds remained closed because they could not apply the light from the previous miracle of loaves to their present situation. We will be in the dark and fearful until we relate our faith in the divinity of Jesus Christ to every aspect of our lives in prayer and meditation.

Let us pray: O God, who bestow light on all the nations, grant your peoples the gladness of lasting peace and pour into our hearts that brilliant light by which you purified the minds of our fathers in faith. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.