The great Indian philosopher and poet Tagore says, “Only in the deepest silence of night the stars smile and whisper amongst themselves.” A lighthouse has no function in the daytime; a beacon shines only when there is darkness. To discover the light that is within us, we must go through the darkness. When Christ said that he was the light of the world, he was not talking only about the external, prophetic light, but about an internal light that was the light at the heart of the universe and the light at the heart of every living person. When he called Christians to let their light shine before the world, he was talking about the light that shines from our innermost being, that part of us where God has written his name on us.

There is an oriental proverb that says, “Pearls lie not on the seashore; if thou desirest one, thou must dive for it.” Similarly, to find our true light, the light that beckons and enlightens, we must go deep into ourselves, and the deeper we go, the brighter will be our light. It is then that we can be true lights to the world. We can’t all be blazing lighthouses or glaring neon lights. Many of us are just flickering wicks that need to be pared and cared for, very gently, carefully and confidently. Still, even flickering lights can lead people to their true selves.

 

Communion Reflection
Fr Patrick O’Connor’s Mass of Thanksgiving
Friday 7th September 2018