Darkness is not dark to you;
The night is as bright as the day;
Darkness and light to you are both alike.
—Psalm 139:11

In the early years of Christianity, Jesus was identified as the Light of God. This Light is beyond the brightness of the sun. This is the Great Uncreated Light that brought forth the lesser lights of the universe. Not one sub-atomic particle has been made without this Light. You come forth from this Light, and in time will return to the Light that is your home.

In the tradition of the Christian East, the theologians speak of God’s “dazzling darkness.”  By this they mean that the Great Light is so bright that when we gaze at that Light, our understanding may be “darkened.”  This is not a darkness of ignorance and sin. It is a darkness caused by the stunning illumination of God’s presence. We discover how much we do not know. We discover that God is so much more than we had thought or imagined. We discover that we are so little, so dependent and yet so cherished.

We are ever in Christ who is the Light, the Gracious Light and Pure Brightness. When our personal journeys enter a time of grief or despair, our darkness is always held by that Great Light. As we grow in a deepening awareness of this uncreated Light, may the darker days of our journey be infused with that Light. And may we celebrate the eternal hope that Christ, the Light of the world, gives so graciously.

O Gracious Light, O Christ, enlighten my days and my nights with your mercy. Illumine the lives of all who suffer with your consolations. May we ever remember that we come from your own uncreated Light and will be welcomed home at our end. Amen.

Practice: <listen>

Reference Note: All  psalms are taken from the psalter in The Book of Common Prayer, 1979.