One of the most remarkable aspects of the total eclipse of
the sun was how rapidly it got dark in the middle of the day. Typically humans
try to escape darkness, but this event resulted in a communal search for
darkness as people gathered to watch the moon block the sun. I can’t help but
believe this event will have positive effects, because as Dr. Aileen O’Donoghue
noted at a retreat at Sophia Center, “All of God’s created cosmos is intended
to reveal the sharing of God’s life and love. The darkness came into being
through the Word and is not separate from God’s creative love.”
Unfortunately, today it is getting more difficult to
experience total darkness because of light pollution. When I was in my mid
twenties and in need of some perspective, I was fortunate to spend a few nights
at my uncle Barney’s farm in an isolated area in Doniphan County, Kansas, where
I marveled at a darkness so complete I couldn’t see my hand in front of my
face. Instead of being frightening, it was oddly comforting, like being covered
with a blanket of depth and stillness. Ironically, what I needed to overcome a
sense of inner darkness was darkness itself.
As Psalm 19 proclaims, “And night to night declares
knowledge.” Darkness reveals things we can’t see in the light, such as stars
and the extent of the universe, engendering humility and reverence. Darkness itself
is God’s creature, with night falling for the first time 500 million years
after the Big Bang. We shouldn’t panic when we find ourselves in the dark,
because God is comfortable there. God can always find us and, at the
appropriate time, guide us toward the light.
No comments:
Post a Comment