“I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world, but to save the world.” John 12:46-47
Another Easter Vigil has come and gone. In our parish, there are 22 new Catholics, and in our Archdiocese, the largest number of converts in its history. Why do you think this is happening?
I think the answer can be found in the passage above. It seems as though we are living in a dark time. There is hopelessness, anger, worry, a lack of trust. Gratefully, there are many people are turning to God for the “Light” which will banish their darkness.
On Confirmation retreats, I like to use the image of Jesus probing our hearts with a flashlight, shining His Light on the places we’d rather keep hidden. That is the only way true healing can occur, but we have to let Him in. That’s what is happened to all these folks who have made the decision to become Catholic. Let our prayer be that they, along with us, always remain in the Light of the Risen Christ.
Pope John Paul II, in his first homily as Pope, summed things up by saying, “We are an Easter People, and Alleluia is our song.” We are not “Good Friday People,” although there would have been no Easter without the passion and death of Jesus. But the story continued, a new chapter began. And so it is with us. We turn from dark to Light, and nothing is the same.
Let’s pray that the Light burn brightly, banishing our personal and communal darkness. Alleluia
