darkness

Let us repent, rise from the darkness and walk into the light of Jesus.

“The people who sit in darkness have see a great light” (Matthew 4:16).

Matthew is quoting the prophet Isaiah and the darkness he is referring to was the fall of Zebulun and Naphtali, the first two of the ten tribes of Israel that were conquered by the Assyrians in around 722 BC. The other eight tribes of Israel would also fall. The two tribes of Judah remained for a time, but then in 587 BC, Jerusalem, the capital city, along with the Temple, were also destroyed. The last two of the original twelve tribes of Israel were also conquered. The promise of an everlasting kingdom from David’s line appeared to be lost.

Not so. A great light would come, the Messiah, one greater than Moses would be sent by God to unite again the twelve tribes of Israel. The Kingdom of David would be re-established, this time – forever. A glimmer of hope arose in 538 BC when Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon and freed Judah and sent them back to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. Cyrus was a liberator, but not the promised Messiah.

What Matthew did not share in this part of his Gospel was the next promise that Isaiah made: “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:5).

As Christians we believe this child promised to become the Prince of Peace, is Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God. In the gospel today, Matthew records the beginning of his public ministry which began with the arrest of John the Baptist. Jesus has come from the northern region, Galilee to be baptized by John. Now with his arrest, the political climate in Jerusalem seems a bit too hot. Jesus “withdrew to Galilee… in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali” (Mt. 4:12-15).

Wait a minute – Zebulun and Naphtali? Yep. Jesus is going back to the beginning where the fall of the ten tribes of Israel first began. Makes sense since he came to restore and re-establish and re-unify the twelve tribes of Israel. He did not only come to restore but to establish the new Israel. That is what we see in the next verses in which Jesus calls Simon, Andrew, James and John, the first of the, wait for it – twelve apostles.

Just as the twelve tribes of Israel began with the twelve sons of Jacob/Israel, the new Jerusalem will begin with the twelve apostles. By our baptism, we are heirs and members of the new Israel, the Body of Christ. Yet, we don’t have to look far to see the seeds of disunity and division still festers like a plague. Just as David unified the twelve tribes, for them only to be divided after one generation, we too suffer division and polarization in our nation, church, families, and friends.

Paul experience this in one the church’s he founded in Corinth. In our second reading, he appeals to them: “I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose” (I Corinthians 1:10). We are to be united in the love of Christ. Jesus is the light that shines in our darkness of division.

We can easily fall into despair with the disunity and polarization, we can feel like people sitting in darkness and overshadowed by death on every side. Yet, we are not overcome. Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. And his antidote to the darkness? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 4:17).

Jesus’ message is as simple as it is clear. Jesus is the kingdom of heaven that is at hand and he is continuing to establish the new Israel that will be fulfilled in the heavenly kingdom. He is present among us revealing with his gentle light another way, one of harmony and peace. When we allow ourselves to breathe, receive, rest, and abide in the love of Jesus, when we become less so Jesus can become more, we experience his love, consolation, and joy. If we are not, there may be something we need to repent from, reject, something to heal from, and/or something to let go of.

The light of Jesus will guide us through our darkness and when we follow, will lead to our healing, forgiveness, and freedom. We can retreat further into the shadows and feed anxiety, doubt, or fear. We can also choose to repent, leave the darkness, and come into the light. Each thought, word, and action contributes to fostering the present darkness or to the light that will overcome it. Hopefully, with each choice, we trust more in Jesus.

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Photo: When we are willing to see, Jesus shines in our darkness.

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, January 25, 2026

 

Will we choose to remain in the darkness or follow Jesus into the light?

“He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother” (Mark 6:28).

The momentum that led to the death of John the Baptist could have slow and the direction could have taken a different course. It did not even slow but only escalated. Once Herod Antipas offered to the girl “even half of his kingdom”, she went in haste to her mother. Without hesitation her mother asked for John the Baptist. There was a slight hesitation on Herod’s part when he received the request, but no one spoke about the atrocity or horror of this request. Herod, as would Pontius Pilate, gave in to the pressure of not saving a life, for even there no one spoke out against what was coming, but in taking the life of an innocent man, which the executioner executed efficiently.

John’s crime, what he was arrested for, was calling Herod and Herodias to repent, to turn away from the sin of adultery they were committing and to turn back to God. John sought to help this couple to see that their actions not only were leading to their own demise, but that they were leading many of their subjects with them. Each person chose to play their part in John’s death, they chose their own ego-drama over and above the principal actor before them playing out God’s theo-drama.

This horrific account, if it was not bad enough on its own, was a foreshadowing of another – John’s cousin. Jesus would also be tried, condemned, and crucified for choosing to speak God’s word of repentance, to invite others within ear shot to turn away from that which was keeping them from God. Many were not only closed to the idea of repentance, they not only ignored his message, but also called out for his death, “Crucify him” (Mark 15:13)!

John and Jesus were faithful to hearing and following the will of God. They exhibited true courage in their willingness to give their lives, and because they have done so, they have opened up for us the path to eternal life. Where do we find ourselves in the account of the beheading of John the Baptist and the crucifixion of Jesus? Are we on the side of the indifferent that will watch them die without a word, are we on the side of rejecting the light of God and choosing the darkness of our own sin? If our conscience is pricked, do we resist following the temptation of the Holy Spirit and listen to the lies of the enemy and follow him instead?

Is there another option than those witnessed in the Gospel accounts? Yes, those of Mary and the Apostles. They, despite the cultural, political, familial, internal, and even religious pressures of the time, chose to trust in Jesus and follow him, even when they didn’t understand. This is revealed powerfully when Jesus asked the Apostles at the end of the Bread of Life discourse, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of everlasting life” (John 6:67-68).

With each thought, word, and decision we make, we need to take the time to pause and discern what voices we are listening to. If they don’t align with the will of God, we need to follow the lead of John and Jesus and renounce them. Otherwise, we can get caught up in a momentum of thoughts that can lead to actions that can lead to some dark places we don’t want to go. The Holy Spirit can help us to change course, even when we have walked away… If we are willing to stop, take a breath, and listen. It is never too late to repent. It is never too late to turn away from sin, return to God, and get back on the path that leads to eternal life.

Photo: There is much distraction, diversion, and temptation that the enemy will place in our way. If we remain in and follow the light of Jesus he will “rescue our feet from the snare” (cf. Psalm 25:15).

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, August 29, 2025