Finding the Light in the Darkness of Night

When I was growing up, I never understood why some of my friends would try to do things they were not supposed to do, or do things they didn’t want others to find out about, in the middle of broad daylight… where the likelihood of getting caught was quite high.

When you want to eat that extra cookie, Grandma said you can’t have, you wait until she is watching her evening show before you tiptoe through the dark kitchen and sneak into the pantry.

Or when you try to avoid the tattling of your older sister, you wait till she’s in her room working on homework before you snatch the phone and talk softly to your neighbor friend about going to Mullin’s (the BEST ice cream parlor in the country) for a malt.

Most of us know that it is in the dark where we will least likely get caught or found out by others.

And I think this is why Nicodemus chooses to go to Jesus at night (Sunday’s Gospel passage in John). It is in this darkness where nobody would be able to see where he is going and find out what he is up to.

Night-time can be a good time to think, reflect, consider, pray. The busy world is quieter then and we are less likely to be disturbed. The night carries its own rich mystery too, which helps to compose oneself within the mystery of God. Monks pray in the night all their lives: you and I can do so for at least a few minutes before retiring?

In dark times, we can rediscover or deepen our faith and rekindle our relationship with God if we choose to. Finding God can happen in surprising ways. In the darkness one can converse and connect with the divine. In the shade of night, the Light of the World can be encountered.

Looking forward to being with you in the light of day,