Homily

"The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and the shadow of death, a light has arisen.” St. Matthew uses this quotation from the book of Isaiah to describe the situation at the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. Many years before, when Jesus was just a baby, the light of a star was seen by Magi from the East as a guide to come and find this little King of the Jews. But now, it is not a light in the sky that we find in the Gospel, but rather Jesus Himself as the source of light and life. In the Byzantine empire, these two words were often used in decorative art with the cross, the alpha and the omega, Greek phos, zoe = light and life. These words stand for Christ.

The people who sat in darkness...” What an image! The millions and millions of the people of the earth, sitting in darkness. And although Matthew is really talking about the Gentiles here, I think it can still be used to describe all the people. Sitting in darkness. How much can you do in the dark, when you cannot see? The actions so freely done in the daytime are not possible under the darkness of night. So you sit. You sit in the darkness and wait for daylight, which will free you for action and all the activities of life. So here is Jesus, ready to teach and to preach. He is the new dawn, the light for the people who have been waiting for many hundreds of years as well as for those who do not even know God.

And with this light also comes life as well, for Jesus has come to bring divine life to the people, a life that is born of water and the Holy Spirit, a life that extends beyond death and flourishes in a deep and everlasting communion with God. And that communion with God is what informs and inspires every follower of Christ in this world.

If the people are sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, then of course, they need light and life to overcome those great difficulties.

So, dear friends, look around and think of all the presently available resources open to all of us. What brings us life and light? What is it out there that inspires us and equips us to fill up our lives with every good thing? What is it out there that leads us to sacrificial love, where the giving of ourselves is seen as the most genuine love? What is it out there that provides a sure and solid answer to the questions, "Why am I alive and how should I live my life?” What is out there that inspires me to always strive to do what is right and to choose the lasting value of virtue over the fleeting pleasure of sin? What is out there that can stem the growing tide of addictions, or redirect the billions of dollars spent on internet pornography, or end the abuse of women and children? What is out there to protect the sanctity of married life, family life, human life?

What is out there? Pretty much the same types of things that have always been out there; some are good, some are bad, and some are rather neutral. But so many even of the good are just temporary, fleeting, short-lived little blips of brightness that last for a moment and then fade away. So many, even the morally neutral, can only provide a passing uplift, a moment of enjoyment, and then our life is back to the ordinary again. Is that enough for us?

But real light shines for us to see our way in both good times and bad, and allows us to walk in freedom instead of stumbling in the dark. Real life is found in knowing why we were born, in embracing divine love and seeking that love to fill our lives both here and forever.

Light and Life. Phos – Zoe. We may sometimes find ourselves sitting in the darkness in one way or another, or weary of the burdens of life, or touched by the shadow of death and deadly things. May we never lose sight, that Jesus is Light and Life, and with Him, we can always find the dawn for a new and better day and start up once again, for we were not born to sit in the darkness. We were born to live in His light.