The Light Still Shines In The Darkness

In him was life, and this life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not conquer it. - John 1:4-5

The first lines of John's Gospel in the New Testament make an incredible claim about Jesus.  "In the beginning," John states, "was the Logos..." or as some might translate, "The Word."  Fr. Richard Rohr translates "Logos" into "Blueprint," which I think is brilliant. 

John then goes on to state that it was through Jesus the Christ that all things were made.  Essentially, John believes that everything in the universe is imbued with the Spirit of the Blueprint, the Logos, the Christ.  

The Apostle Paul echoed John's words like this:  

16 For in [Christ] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 [Christ] is before all things, and in [Christ] all things hold together. 

One of my favorite Christian liturgical prayers is The Prayer of St. Patrick that contains these beautiful words: 

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me, Christ in the eye that sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me.

The idea that (through the power of the Universal and Eternal Christ) Jesus is present in all things at all times might be a new one for you, and I hope you explore it.  

However, despite what we might believe about Jesus' presence in the world, it's still hard at times to believe that the darkness isn't winning.  There's a lot of bad news in the world around us--tragedies, injustice, destruction... It's hard to hold on to hope at times.  

Which is why I found the following quote from Fr. Richard Rohr so intriguing:  

Scientists have discovered that what looks like darkness to the human eye is actually filled with tiny particles called "neutrinos," slivers of light that pass through the entire universe.  Apparently, there is no such thing as total darkness anywhere, even though the human eye thinks there is. 

I recently heard Rohr speak on this, and he was absolutely giddy about the fact that even in Creation the darkness doesn't get to win, no matter how dark it seems.  

May you experience the presence of Christ all around you, in you and through you today and every day.  May you find joy in the fact that the light still shines in the darkness and the darkness doesn't get to win.  

And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen.