The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. – John 1:5

During the “darkness of Lent” in the middle of the COVID-19 Pandemic, we have felt a deep uneasiness and fear that life was out of control. We longed to experience a sense of hope and a return of light.

The Passion story of Jesus’ last week is heartrending: he was mocked, humiliated, painfully nailed to a cross, and died. Yet, much to the surprise and disbelief of his disciples, the soldiers, and the Pharisees, on the third day, he rose up from the tomb and left it empty. The story gives us much hope that we too can rise above our fears, our suffering, our pessimism, our sorrows. Perhaps we too can create and live a new and more meaningful life – even in the crazy world of being “locked up” because of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

In the Gospel of John these words are written, “What has come into being was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” Hopefully, the darkness has not overcome us, and with the light of Easter, we will feel more nourished and inspired.

The Season of Lent is behind us, and the virtual shouts of Easter “Alleluias!” will begin to fade from our minds. We trust, however, that our hearts have been touched and our souls cleansed a bit during this Lenten Season. Perhaps we feel somewhat changed. Hopefully we have memories of a moment when we “got it” or were surprised to find a tear in our eye. Maybe we were given some inspiration or spiritual energy that will help us move our world in new directions. We must hang on to these positive memories in order to fight the negative thoughts and fears that can creep into our minds.

Yes, now is the time to believe in empty tombs, to trust that hope is around the corner, and to begin to pursue new life-giving activities. Let’s take our everyday lives and practice special acts of love (even from a distance) each and every day. And may we look for “the light” all the days of our lives.  

·         Consider how you can nourish and re-kindle your faith and your dreams.

·         Ponder how you can keep away negative, pessimistic thoughts from your mind.

Beloved God, thank you for bringing the light back to our lives and into our frightened minds. Inspire us to open our hearts to the positive, to new life, to service – even when we are distanced from one another. May we open our hearts to fresh possibilities, transformed living. In the name of God, we pray. Amen.

Joy Carol

www.joycarol.com