The light shone in the darkness and the darkness grasped it not

For the 400 years between the Council of Trent and the 2nd Vatican Council, the concluding event of the Mass was the reading of the Gospel According to John, Chapter One, verses 1 - 14. There John says "the light shone in the darkness and the darkness grasped it not."

In a religious and spiritual and theological context, this is St. John describing in metaphorical terms what it meant for Jesus to come into the world, bringing the light of salvation, bringing "life, the light of men."

And the darkness of the world could neither understand nor enclose the light.

Like much in the pre-Vatican II mass, this was powerful because of its symbolic description, even though one would have to reflect on and grapple with poetic lines like this for a lifetime and probably still not fully understand.

I want to go sideways with this idea and treat not the theological nor the mystical levels of meaning but to consider how it might inform our own day-to-day practice in our circumstances.

This is, despite all the bright lights, a dark age. For those of us who pay perhaps too much attention to the manifestations of this darkness, it is salutary to consider those who every day in all their dealings manifest the light.

It is easy to pay attention to the signs of the darkness for we are reminded of it all the time: in music and movies, in the news in all its forms, in "reality" television and the various forms of Jerry Springerism, in "the spiteful, the stingy, and the rude" that we encounter every day.

What we have to choose to notice is the reality of millions upon millions of people who quietly choose every day to live with kindness, generosity, and patience. The teacher who never stops working at improving her craft and who goes to meet her students every morning full of optimism and hope. The coach who never gives up on his players (and never cheats to win). The nurse who treats the vulnerable with gentle kindness. The businessman who is not only honest in his dealings but considerate of the welfare of those with whom he does business. The skilled workers --- the plumbers and electricians and carpenters --- who take pride in their work and live up to the promises they make to their customers. The parents who wisely put the best interests of their children first, always, even at cost to themselves.

These are the people who are living in the light and, as always, the darkness doesn't get it.