February 2011
Reflections of God's Goodness

February is the shortest month of the year and it seems like the longest! The winter darkness drags on and on. Most of us yearn for the light of spring and its promise of life as we struggle with the darkness in the dead of winter.

Our life too has times of darkness and times of light. Times of work and times of rest. Times of sorrow and times of joy. Times of struggle and times of ease. Everyone has some degree of darkness in their life—because if we live in the world, we must contend with darkness.

I don’t know about you, but I am still reeling from the violence in Tucson. Unbelievable that such unprovoked violence happens in our country. We are shocked and saddened and afraid. Is anywhere safe? Our hearts are broken for the victims and their families.

A hard look at our world uncovers terrorism, wars, and oppression. The “culture of death” that Pope John Paul II spoke of breeds sexual abuse, greed, domestic violence and pornography. Filthy language and story lines are put out as entertainment. I am probably not telling you anything you don’t see in the news regularly.

We know that such horror is not in God’s will and that he suffers with us. What can we do in the face of such darkness? What can we do as we struggle in our own lives with pain and temptation? To those in darkness, Jesus offers hope –

“I am the light of the world,
he who follows me shall not walk in darkness.”

We need to continue our journey with Jesus. To search for him and seek him out in our darkness and let him light the way.

Jesus also said,

“You are the light of the world, let your light shine before all,
that they may see the good that you do and give glory to God.”

Matthew 5:18

We are called then, to be God’s light in this world of darkness.

How? We can let our light shine! God’s love in us is the light we are called to share. Wherever we are, at home, with friends, in church, at work, we can choose to love one another. We can respond with kindness, compassion and understanding to those God places in our path each day. We can reject success as defined by material goods, and in a country driven by consumerism, we can be a light.

Jesus promised to be with us always and we can count on it – God’s light will break through the darkness in our lives and in our world.

Blessings,

Sr. Mary Ann Barnhorn, SNDdeN
Director of Development