Called Out of Darkness

The Book of Genesis begins in the dark abyss, in unformed chaos, with the Spirit of God hovering above the waters.  "Light, Be!" thunders the voice of Elohim, and light was.

The Father----The Son-----The Spirit address the darkness.  The Spirit hovers, the Father sends His Own Light, and the Light was.  And the darkness has never succeeded in overcoming the Light.

Each one of us has been "called out of darkness into His marvelous light," in the words of St. Peter.  Each one of us has experienced the downward spiral of chaos, fear, evil, anxiety, entering into our own lives---an evil from which we could not extricate ourselves, an evil which threatened to overwhelm us.

Many people attempt to hold the chaos at bay by following the rules and regulations, thus ensuring themselves of order and maybe the hope of reward in the next life.  Some attempt to escape the fear by retreating to a place where nothing can harm them.  And others finally join the forces of evil, adding their own energy to the destruction.

But "the reason God sent His Son into the world was to destroy the works of the devil" (I John 3:8).  Jesus said, I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should remain in darkness (John 12:46).

The opening of Genesis sets the pattern for the rest of the story----from darkness, evil, chaos into the "marvelous" light of the Son of God.  This is the story of every individual, of every tribe, of every family, of every nation on earth.  From darkness to light.  The light was supposed to shine out of Israel to every surrounding nation, that they too might walk in the light.  The wise men from the East, non-Jews, saw the light of the world and followed it to Bethlehem.  The shepherds on the hillside saw the light and it drew them to the crib in a dark, cold cave. 

When the darkness descends in our own lives, we cannot remain in it, but must search for the Light that God has spoken into the world.  Years ago, I read a quotation whose source I do not recall:

We easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; it is harder to comprehend those who are afraid of the Light.