Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Readings of the Day

A common thread runs through today's readings: all speak of darkness in our world, and the challenge we face when we must “walk in the dark valley.” Each proclaims that with God at our side we need not fear, for God’s light outshines the darkness that surrounds us, and will ultimately conquer every darkness that plagues our world.

From Daniel we hear the sordid tale of two respected elders whose hearts are so darkened by lust that they falsely accuse a young woman who spurned their advances to preserve her purity. For her part, Susanna prays in the confident assurance that God will bring the truth to light: “O eternal God, you know what is hidden and are aware of all things before they come to be.” The psalmist likewise cries out to God as he confronts the darkness of persecution from enemies, proclaiming that he need not fear, “for you (O God) are at my side, with your rod and your staff that give me courage.” And in John’s Gospel, Jesus identifies himself as the Light of the World, and promises that “whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

A Benedictine monk once told me that his community got up to pray in the middle of the night because many sinful and harmful acts occur under the cover of darkness. He called it a privilege to suffer the minor inconvenience of interrupted rest, arising and gathering to “rinse or bathe the world” in vigilant prayer, expressing solidarity with and concern for our suffering brothers and sisters.

Science tells us that darkness is not a thing but the lack of something, the absence of light. Saint Augustine likewise once said that evil does not exist of its own accord, but rather is the absence or corruption of good.  In that sense, evil is nothingness. How true this rings with our experience in Catholic Charities as we reach out to serve and support those who are bruised and broken. Whether they are innocent victims or in some way complicit in their struggles is not the issue – all have experienced darkness as absence. They have often been deprived some goodness in the form of guidance, affirmation, protection, provision, nurturance, or loving care and concern.  Many of our clients have been swallowed up in the darkness of being treated as – and thus feeling like – a nobody, a “loser.” It is our task to be ministers of mercy and beacons of God’s saving light, to help others restore what has been lost by reaffirming their God-given dignity. May our efforts be like a floodlight whose brightness reveals the inherent goodness of every member of the human family, without exception, so that together we “might not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

Edward J. Lis served as Director, Catholic Mission Integration & Communications, Catholic Human Services, Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

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