When Light Shines
Since we were children, we have understood the power of light to reveal the truth. A glimmer of light was enough to send monsters into hiding, and a mere night light was sufficient to keep them away. There is nothing hidden when the light shines.
Today the Church commemorates the appearance of the Cross as Light in the sky above Jerusalem in 351AD. On that day the entire city witnessed the power of God’s light. There was no doubt, as even the sun was overcome by the Light of the Cross that day.
The reading from Acts is chosen by the Church today to express this joy and power of the Light of Christ. Christ appeared to Saul as a bright light. Saul became Paul and was the greatest evangelist in Church history. This is what happens when the Light of Christ shines.
IN THOSE DAYS, King Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense: “I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining round me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.’ And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and bear witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles-to whom I send you to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ “Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and perform deeds worthy of their repentance.”
Acts 26:1, 12-20
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” The Pharisees then said to him, “You are bearing witness to yourself; your testimony is not true.” Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness to myself, my testimony is true, for I know whence I have come and whither I am going, but you do not know whence I come or whither I am going. You judge according to the flesh, I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone that judge, but I and he who sent me. In your law it is written that the testimony of two men is true; I bear witness to myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness to me.” They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father; if you knew me, you would know my Father also.” These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.
John 8.12-20
Both for Saint Paul and in Jerusalem three hundred years later, the Light of Christ revealed the truth and faith to those who were in darkness, lost in sin and mythology. This is why I compared this image with our childhood fears. There never were any monsters in the light.
Two things are true in our modern lives about the Light of Christ. You don’t hear very much about miraculous light beaming in the sky these days. That does not mean it doesn’t shine. It only means that we have stopped looking for it.
We have created such a dependency on imitation light that we forget the world is cloaked in darkness. We no longer look up for light. We flip a switch. The light switch may have cared the monsters away, but it can never replace divine Light. That Light comes from our hearts.
Christ says in today’s Gospel reading, “I am the light of the world.” When we walk in the Light of Christ, we “will have the light of life.” The Light of Christ no longer shines in the sky above our cities because we keep it hidden. We keep the Light to ourselves.
Christ commanded us to stop hiding our light. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5.16) This commandment isn’t just a commandment to good works. It is a commandment to shine for others to see Christ.
The Church is (or at least it should be) the Light of Christ shining in the world. If the Church has stopped shining the Light of Christ, it isn’t God’s fault. We have chosen the darkness of the world over the Light of Christ.
How do we change? It begins when we stop focusing on imitation light and start looking for divine Light. Divine Light is sent from God to reveal truth. The world hates truth. The world speaks of ‘my truth’ and ‘relative truth’ but there is only One Truth. God is Truth.
Allowing the Light of Christ to shine begins when we allow His Light to correct our behaviors and attitudes before we look at others. The Light will shine, whether we like it or not, the truth about our choices and our sins. That is probably why so many of us hide the Light.
Go to Church and stand (or sit) in front of the icon of Christ. Ask God to shine His Light on your life, not so others can see your sins, but so that you can make a change. The Light changed Saul to Paul. The Light changed persecution into evangelism.
It can change you, but only if you allow it to change you. Then, once the monsters of sin have run into hiding, you can begin to live in the Light of Christ. Then you can allow His Light to shine in your good works SO THAT others can glorify God. It’s what happens when Light shines.
