God's Grace in Darkness

Dear Friends:

Already at the second Sunday of Lent, this week we focus on Meeting God’s Grace in Darkness. We know that the paths of life can sometimes be so dark that no light seems to permeate the blackness of sorrow, sickness, or despair.  Yet, the light of faith, God’s grace can illuminate where all else fails, leading us ever onward and upward.

It is through the eyes of faith we always see God’s love for us.  It is right to hope in times of darkness and to call on God’s grace because we have been promised the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and we know the salvation that has been bought for us at a great price because God loves us.

Few times are so painful and dark as those times when we sin grievously, thus blocking the light of God’s grace in our souls.  It is then that we fail to love ourselves. It is then that the enemy and evil enter onto our path with a plan to sabotage our journey of faith and all our joy.

When we sin, we lose our vision, and become weak.  This weakness surrounds us in darkness and tries to take away our hope, our optimism, and our faith. This is the best time to remember that we have help in getting back out of that darkness.  We are not alone.  We call on God’s grace.

A wise priest once encouraged me, “A saint is not the person who never falls; a saint is the person who gets back up after every fall.”  The success of our journey is much about getting back up over and over again - running from the darkness into the light.

As we march through Lent, the days are getting lighter - a good reminder that as we move closer to the Resurrection, so too does our lives.

Perhaps this week we can spend some time remembering times that we have been in darkness and pray for that someone who was a guiding light for us in faith and in love.  Perhaps also we can recommit ourselves to be that light for any members of our community who may be stuck in the darkness, and promise to help show them the lighted way.

Some of the greatest things God’s grace can accomplish in us are the many good things we can do for one another; so let’s help one another, through encouragement, to walk away from darkness and back onto the virtuous path of light.

Blessings!

RSM