Light Came into The World by Colleen O’Sullivan

Light Came into The World by Colleen O’Sullivan

Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter

The high priest rose up and all his companions, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and filled with jealousy, laid hands upon the Apostles and put them in the public jail.  But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, led them out, and said, “Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything about this life.”  When they heard this, they went to the temple early in the morning and taught.  (Acts 5:17-21a)

(Jesus said to Nicodemus:) God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him…And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light because their works were evil.   (John 3:16-17, 19)

Piety

Glorify the LORD with me,
Let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears. (Psalm 34:4-5)

Study

Our two Scripture readings today resonate with new life, joy, and hope – all the hallmarks of the Easter season.  In our first reading today, we find the Apostles beset with the same woes their Lord had been.  They are preaching, teaching and healing, and attracting crowds as well as a good deal of attention at the same time.  To the high priest and the Sadducees, this is alarming.  They want to keep their positions of religious power and influence, and they are afraid of this supposedly risen Christ and the popularity of the message his followers are proclaiming right in the city streets.  So, they seize the Apostles and lock them up in the city jail.

The Word of God, however, is not meant to be locked up.  Sometime during the night, an angel of the Lord goes into that prison and unlocks the doors.  There simply are no bars or chains or despotic high priests powerful enough to suppress the Word of God.  By dawn, the Word is being preached once again in the Temple area.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus continues the conversation he is having with Nicodemus under the cover of darkness.  See, here’s what’s going on, he tells this Pharisee seeker of truth.  My Father loves all of creation, all the world you and I see around us every day.  My Abba has sent me here out of that deep love and concern for all men, women, and children.  I am the expression of God’s deep and abiding love.  I am the Light in the darkness of this world.  I come to draw people to the Light of the World. 

Locks sprung.  Prison doors opened. The Gospel proclaimed.  The light brought to the darkest corners of our lives.  That is the Easter message!

Against the background of our readings today and throughout the Easter season, I have found myself infuriated and affronted by individuals who have suggested that God has sent COVID-19 as a message to or even as a divine judgment on the world.  The Gospel preached in the Temple area is hardly a message of retribution.  It’s about a resurrected Savior who was willing to die for us.  Jesus’ words to Nicodemus are words of hope and Light and promise of new life in Him. 

The coronavirus is a worldwide tragedy, the scope of which I can scarcely begin to fathom.  So, where is our God in all of this?  Standing by every person dying, saddened that loving family and friends cannot surround them.  We cannot welcome the departed into eternal life. We cannot hold the hands of those who are grieving.  We cannot put an arm around all of us who are frightened.  We cannot encourage those who have a rough time sheltering in place, either because we’re lonely or because we’ve got too many people together for too long a time.  We cannot strengthen the exhausted healthcare workers trying to save as many people as possible. 

God is to be seen in the people in just my neighborhood alone who post on Facebook what time they’ll be going grocery shopping and their willingness to get anyone’s groceries who needs help.  The person answering the poor soul who ran out of toilet paper with an offer of a pack from their supply.  The helpful ones who report from grocery stores or Target or Walmart or Costco what sought-after items are there that very minute.  I live a fair distance from Eisenhower Avenue in Alexandria, where the only remaining Fairfax Co. purple glass recycling container is to be found. When someone was planning to take their glass items, they posted that they would come to pick up yours, too, if you would message your street address.

God is to be seen in all the clergy in our diocese and their AV helpers who are televising liturgies for us.  God can be found in the work of Fr. Stefan Starzynski, Catholic chaplain at Inova Fairfax Hospital, as he prays with patients, offers them the Eucharist, and sometimes Last Rites.

Action

The love and mercy of our God are all about us.  When we are praying today, let’s try to remember all the places we’ve seen God at work recently and offer thanks.