Let There be Light

Book of Genesis says that in the beginning, when God created the universe, it was darkness everywhere and there was no form or shape to be found anywhere. "Then God said: Let there be light, and there was light" (1:3). Thus the story of creation. There are too many arguments for and against the Biblical narration of creation. But that's not what I want to talk about today - I just want to talk about light.


It is hard to imagine a world without light, with darkness everywhere, without any distinction between day and night. Regardless of your inclination towards Science or Faith, I think all of us can agree to the fact that light has something to with our existence on earth. There is a very good chance that light was one of the first things that came into existence. In light, things began to take form and shape. In life, light plays a very vital role as we all know absence of light for a prolonged period of time is deadly. If light is of so much importance to our daily life, then I wonder why people still choose to live in the dark? "Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life'" (John 8:12). 

One of the hardest things about living a catholic life for me is identifying sins. I am not talking about identifying somebody else's sins - that is easy. It is hard to look at myself and see a sinner in me because I have a logical explanation for every one of my actions. Why would I do anything just to sin? If I did something, then there is a purpose behind it. And if I can rationally defend my action, then how could it be a sin. There was a time in my life when I went about my life without ever considering myself a sinner. I couldn't even go for confession once a year because I couldn't think of any sins worth confessing! If I ever get stuck on something without finding a proper argument for doing it, then I would reason it by saying, "In real life, not everything can be reasoned". And that was reason enough for me. 

In spirituality, darkness is often associated with evil. In real life, darkness is the absolute absence of light. I wonder what the difference is. I could walk into a room filled with objects in darkness, but I wouldn't be able to see anything. Therefore, the room might as well be empty as far as I am concerned. Same can be said about our ability to acknowledge sins. When I am under the influence of evil, I am in darkness and I fail to see the pain caused my actions upon others. I am so much drowned in selfishness that I can suppress the inner warnings of my conscience with self-centered arguments and reasonings. People often blame the guilt associated with sins on religion. They claim that Christian faith is prospering by instilling the feeling of guilt into the mind of its followers. But could it be that Christianity merely helps shed light into the minds of its followers, bringing them from darkness into the light of the Redeemer, allowing them to see what was hidden in the dark? Sins are not a Christian invention, Christianity only exposes sins in order to confront it and eliminate it.

True Christian faith never asks its followers to lead a life immersed in guilt. On the contrary, Christianity professes a forgiving God, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him" (John 3:17). When you repent and confess the sins with a determination not to repeat it, then the sins are forgiven. Light is an essential part of the Christmas celebrations, and rightfully so. As we are getting closer towards the birth of "light of the world", we need to take some time to hang a few lights inside us also. We should ask the Son to shine upon us and within us, to help us examine our conscience, to get all the clutter out of our hearts, to make room for baby Jesus with His most Holy Mother and St. Joseph. 

Though the Catholic Church does not require the Sacrament of Penance during the Advent, I believe it is a really good time for a confession and reconciliation. With a New Year and new resolutions, it is always good to purge all that unwanted stuff we have in our mind. Here is a helpful link if any of you find it difficult to identify sins: Examination of Conscience

"So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:17,18)