Light Overpowers Darkness

I watched the story of the rescue of the Chilean miners on NOVA last night.  It was inspiring, but what really struck me was the the thought of living in darkness for 17 days before they made contact with the world again.

Theirs was a physical darkness not of their own making, but there is a psychic darkness, too, which we often make for ourselves. It can be just as debilitating and requires just as much courage.

When our thoughts focus on what is lacking - lack of love, lack of money, lack of opportunities - we are focusing on the darkness. When we immerse ourselves in what is light - love for others even in their weakness, love for ourselves as God's beloved, love for God as our bulwark for the future  - we fill ourselves with light. This Light will overcome the darkness.

Shine a flashlight in a corner and all that's there becomes visible - nothing can escape the power of the light. Jesus said, "I am light of the world." Filling our thoughts with Jesus - with God - leaves no room for the dark to kill our hope and to smother our love. We are able then to fill the world of others with Love and Light as well.

There can be no darkness where there is light. The miners had to bring their own inner light to their situation when their artificial light failed. They succeeded admirably. "Love never fails" is true because love is more powerful than hate just as light is more powerful than darkness. Would that each person we meet say of us: "You light up my life" just as the miners did when all was darkness.