The following is a photo from one of my friend’s emails. He has taken the photo of his colleague wearing a T-Shirt depicting this ‘quite funny’, anti-Christian, or rather satanic message.

(With the aim of avoiding any unwanted publicity for the Evil one the mentioned photo can only be viewed by clicking on this link)     God is busy…

We understand from the Bible that Satan is the deceiver of the whole world (Rev. 12.9). St. Paul writes that we should not be outwitted by Satan and we should not be ignorant of his designs. (2 Cor. 2.11) Nowadays it is a fashion among the teenagers to wear T-Shirts with satanic symbols and captions ‘proclaiming’  lies. Lie is the main weapon of Satan. There are only two kingdoms: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Evil. In the kingdom of God there is selfless love, lasting joy and peace, truth, honesty, humility and all the divine qualities which make one lead a saintly life. On the contrary, in the kingdom of Evil there is hatred, selfishness, momentary pleasures, cruelty, dishonesty, pride and all that makes one lead a life of sin. Jesus has said: “The thief comes only to steal, to kill and to destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly’” (Jn. 10, 10).

“God created us for incorruption, and made us in the image of his own eternity”. But the devil who is also called Satan (Rev. 12.9), does not like human beings enjoying the eternity with God the Creator; he wants us to suffer with him for all eternity. Since he has lost Paradise due to his rebellion and disobedience (Is.14. 12-15; Ezk. 28. 11-19; Rev. 12. 7-9), he is jealous of human beings getting into Paradise to live for eternity. “Through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his company experience it” (Wis. 2. 24).

Jesus came to give us victory over death and Satan. The core message of the Bible is the good news that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (Jn. 3. 16). Through His Son’s death on the Cross, “He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, forgiveness of sins” (Col.1. 13, 14).

As we are journeying through the Solemn Season of Lent, the Church is calling each one of us to check our ways to see whether we are treading on the path of Truth leading us to eternal life in the kingdom of God or whether we are treading on the path of Lie and deception which will lead us to eternal damnation. As the Word of God exhorts us: “Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord” (Lam. 3.40).

Lent is the Season to reflect on what the wickedness of Evil and our sins have cost the Lord – the most painful Passion, the most heinous and shameful Crucifixion. He willingly embraced the Cross in order to redeem us from the clutches of the Evil. Such was His love for the humanity! But Satan, who is the enemy of man’s salvation, ‘comes disguising himself as an angel of light’ (2 Cor. 11. 14).

Quite a number of people are alarmed at the news of ‘warning’ about the End of the Age. Jesus has foretold the signs of the End of the Age 2000 years ago. (Mt. 24. 3- 44; Mk. 13;  Lk. 21. 7- 36). Many things are already happening in the world now. But we are not to be alarmed, but only need to prepare to reach our goal by returning to the Lord through our fasting, penance and treading on the ‘narrow path’ that will lead us to heaven, our eternal destiny. Jesus is telling us lovingly: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Mt. 7. 13, 14)

Also let us take note of what the Word of God reveals about the working of the devil in the end days: The end day “will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God. The coming of the lawless one is apparent in the working of Satan, who uses all power signs, lying wonders, and every kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” (2. Thess. 2. 3, 4, 9). Those who choose the lie and the ‘fleeting pleasures’ of this world will be such as revealed by the Holy Spirit: “since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God handed them over to their undiscerning mind to do what is improper. They are filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and malice; full of envy, murder, rivalry, deceit, and spite. They are gossipers, slanderers, God-haters. They are insolent, haughty, boastful, ingenious in their wickedness, and rebellious toward their parents. They are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know the just decree of God, that all who practise such things deserve death, they not only do them but give approval to those who practise them” (Rom. 1. 28-32).

Let us pray for those who are ‘refusing to love the truth and so be saved’, who are brainwashed by the tactics of the Evil and blindly follow the path of destruction. Jesus shed His Precious Blood to save everyone irrespective of caste, creed, language and nation (Rev. 5.9), to redeem all for the kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit reminds us that we need to ‘work out our own salvation with fear and trembling’ (Phil. 2, 12). “You know what time it is, it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we became believers; the night is advanced, the day is at hand. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honourably as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires” (Rom. 13, 11-14).

Lord, help us in this Season of Lent to make a radical decision to choose your way that will make us mature in you, by living our baptism against the currents of the world. Lord, by choosing the narrow path, and thus discovering the beauty of Christian life and wisdom we are prepared to become fools in the eyes of the world.

Mary Pereira, Fr. J.Mariakumar

 

It is our experience that we can see things when there is light; in the absence of light we experience darkness, and in the darkness we are unable to see anything. When people do not see the light of the sun they experience depression, sadness; whereas when people experience the light of the sun, they are happy and they celebrate.  In the light we can recognize people and things and beauty; whereas darkness is the sign of meaninglessness. Hence the light gives meaning to life. The greatest punishment one can get is solitary confinement, where people cannot see the light, nor commune with other people. Such situation can make people crazy. Without light people cannot live.

Created light : sun, moon, stars

Therefore, the Creator of the world created light first: “Let there be light” and there was light. God saw that light was good. And he separated light from darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness night (Gen.1.3-5).The light was the sign of God and darkness was the sign of absence of light or God. At the command of God, Moses stretched out his hand, and the whole Egypt was in total darkness except the areas where the Israelites lived; the Egyptians could not

Disputation with the Doctors – D. di Buoninsegna (WGoA)

see anyone else or leave their place for 3 days (Ex.10.23).  This shows that Light was the sign of God’s presence and darkness was the sign of the opposite, lack of God’s providence.

As the sign of God’s presence and providence He created the sun to give light on the earth during the day and moon and the stars at night. (Gen.1.14-18). In their ignorance the nations worshipped sun and moon and stars, that were created by God, instead God the Creator Himself. God made it clear to His Chosen People through Moses: “When you look up to the heavens and see the sun, the moon, and the stars all the host of heaven do not be led astray and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples everywhere under heaven” (Deut.4.19)

GOD – The uncreated light

God is eternal light. “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 Jn.1.5). This Divine light became man in Jesus Christ, the Divine Word. He lived and showed the divine Light to all human beings. “In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. (Jn.1.4)

Yearning for God in Pre-Christian Religions

Every human heart yearns for light, life and truth. The people of Eastern religions sing in a prayer:

Asathoma satgamay,
Thamaso ma jyothir gamaya,
Mruthyo ma amritham gamaya….  (in Hinduism)

Lead me from untruth to truth,
Lead me from darkness to light
Lead me from death to life.

In non-Christian religions, especially in Hinduism and Parsee the people see God in the luminaries like sun and moon, planets, and fire and worship them, which is a sign of their longing for the uncreated Light.

JESUS, the uncreated Light in the world

I am the light of the world – Bantry Church of St. Brendan, Detail

It is God who is Truth, Light and Life, who sustains us in His truth, leads us into His light and extends His life. He sent Jesus, His Son into the world in answer to the prayers of people; to satisfy their longing.  Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth and the life”; “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (Jn. 14.6; 8.12). “I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness” (Jn. 12.46). St. John testifies about Jesus, the Word has become flesh: “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world” (Jn. 1.9).

True believers reflect the Light of Christ to the world

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told the disciples: “You are the light of the world, A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Mt.5. 14-16). Jesus taught and did what His Father revealed and thus lived as the light of the world. He taught us how we can be the light of the world. When we do good works, we are in the light; whereas when we do evil, we are in the darkness. As the Holy Spirit says through St. John: “This is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and people loved rather darkness than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light. But those who do what is true come to the light” (Jn 3.19-21). St. Paul exhorts: “Let us lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light” (Rom. 13. 12). St. Arnold Janssen prayed: “May the darkness of sin and  the night of unbelief vanish before the Light of the Word and the Spirit of Grace”

“Those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God”(Jn.3.21). “Whoever says, “I am in the light”, while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling” (I Jn. 2.9, 10). So when we live God’s word, we share the light of God. And only then can we bring forth the fruits of the light which consist in  goodness, righteousness and truth. The Psalmist, king David, was convinced that God’s word is ‘a lamp to his feet and light to his path’ because he has experienced that it is the ‘unfolding of God’s words that gives light’ (Ps. 119.105, 130). Nowadays many do not want to live God’s word and hence are not able to experience the light of the Lord. “There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways and do not stay in its paths” (Job. 24.13).

The mission of Jesus is entrusted to every disciple : ‘To be the light of the world.’ (Mt.5.14). “So the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth” (Acts. 13.47). Many people around us are groping in the darkness of sin, doubt and confusion. Like St. Paul, let us be aware of this mission, that the Lord is sending us “to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus” (Acts. 26. 18). When we are in the light of the Lord, we can be “a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of the infants” (Rom. 2.19).The Lord is inviting all of us, as He invited Bl. Mother Theresa: “Come, be my light”.

In this Year of Faith let us become more aware of this mission to become the light of the world by believing the truth of the Word of God and living it. “We are the aroma of Christ for God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Cor. 2.15). May the Holy Spirit of God enlighten our minds so that we may reveal Christ to the world.

Fr. J. Mariakumar, Mary Pereira