A Light in the Darkness
Posted on: May 5, 2014
- In: Everyday Life | Faith
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Sometimes I just need a little light in the darkness to see where I’m going.
Like when I’m at the movies or in a theatre and need to find my way back to my seat when the house lights have been turned down for the show. Or when the power has gone out and I need to find my way upstairs from the basement.
And then there are the times when the darkness is figurative. Like when I struggle to make a decision or when I worry about the future.
Last night, reading Psalm 119:105* reminded me there’s a light we may be forgetting about—the Bible:
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
The psalmist highlights some truths about God’s word:
- It is precious: “The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces” (verse 72).
- It gives life: “I will never forget your precepts; for by them you have given me life” (verse 93).
- It gives us understanding: “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation” (verse 99); “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple” (verse 130).
- It can bring us peace: “Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble” (verse 165).
We can be too quick to give up on reading the Bible, assuming that the Scriptures have nothing to say to us in 2014. But we can use a concordance to find out what the Bible says about a given topic. And by using the subject index in the Catechism, we can find discussions on abortion, euthanasia, misappropriation of funds, prenatal diagnosis (including sex selection), and terrorism—and many other topics relevant today—and find references to the scripture passage(s) on which the Church’s position is based.
I pray that we would make the time to read the Bible and to pray about what God wants to say to us through his word.
How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
~ Psalm 119:103
(*Scripture quotes taken from the Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition.)
A Catholic Convert in Ottawa 