City of Blinding Lights

Seven Occasional Meditations for Lent - #1. Light

Last Tuesday we returned from a cold and rather wet weekend in Brussels, and I was stunned once again by the light of Lisbon. Maybe it was arriving late in the evening by bus from Faro, first a faint orange glow on the northern horizon, then the bridge, a string of dazzling pearls above a dark sheet, and then overhead the Christo Rei, the great statue of Christ the King that stands on the southern bank of the Tejo, a mighty presence. Maybe it was waking up almost dazzled by the morning sun bursting through the window – a white ball of fire in a clear blue sky.

Judith’s new home is right down in the city centre of Brussels, hemmed in by tall buildings on either side, and so the apartment does not receive a lot of natural light. That along with the dull weather and the darker mornings made the contrast with Lisbon all the more remarkable. Set me thinking about the nature of Light and the Lent season we are in

At Christmas, we make the immediate connection with light. The candles, the street lights, the evening star. But Good Friday and Easter always seem more sombre festivals, full of melancholy, betrayal and agony. But the light that was even then coming into the world with the birth of a saviour, according to John, continues to shine through his earthly life and is not extinguished in his death. We, who are Christians, continue to bear that light in our lives, living in the here and now as “children of light”.

Light scatters .........................darkness gathers

Light rejoices .........................darkness broods

Light overcomes .....................darkness vanishes

Light clarifies ........................darkness deceives

Light expands ........................darkness shrinks

But appearances can be deceptive. What seems bright and colourful on the surface, can harbour darkness and despair. A day at a carnival may seem full of colour and merriment, but who knows of all the grief and pain, anger and betrayal going on in individual lives. Lisbon may seem a brighter place than Brussels, but who is going to measure the level of spiritual light in either place.

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light, find out what pleases the Lord.

Everything exposed by the light becomes visible,
Light makes everything visible. This is why it is said:
"Wake up, O sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you." Ephesians 5