The Comfort of Light

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator

I was asked to serve as a confessor at a penance service last night. As I drove to the church, I was amazed at how dark the night was. It had been quite some time since I had been required to drive at night; and, even in the city, the darkness seemed tangible. As a matter of fact, I got somewhat turned around with the directions and had a hard time finding the church.

Perhaps it was because of my being lost, but I also was aware of all the decorations on people's homes. The Christmas light industry is alive and well in the Chicago metropolitan area. Here in the friary, we tend to wait until we get closer to the feast before we do too much decorating, preferring to keep the Advent spirit more tangible. As I drove, I could not help but think of the "people who lived in darkness," a reference that is part of the oracle of Isaiah that we read on Christmas eve.

The darkness will begin to dissipate in a few days as we draw near the winter solstice. The Church has deliberately placed the Feast of the Nativity at this time of year to remind us that Christ is the light of the world. Conversely, the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist is placed near the summer solstice to remind us of his oft repeated phrase, "He must increase, I must decrease." The Church's liturgy, like grace, is built on nature. (Of course, all of this doesn't work very well in the southern hemisphere of our world where the process is reversed.)

"Comfort, give comfort to my people," sings Isaiah in today's first reading. As our Advent prayer today, let us ask God to lift the darkness that envelops our world so that we can find comfort in Christ our Light.