Come receive the light

Apr 01, 2008 by Fr Luke Palumbis

Come receive the light from the unwaning light, and glorify Christ, Who has risen from the dead.

-Paschal Hymn from the Holy Resurrection Service

“The dark” can be a very daunting environment. As a child I believed that the only reason I feared the dark was the possibility I was not alone, and a monster may jump out of the closet; however, looking back, I believe that this was simply a foreshadow of a fear which comes from a much more profound reality.

In the dark we feel isolated, and in this perceived state of loneliness we are forced to realize that when confronted with variables, including closet monsters, we will not be able to handle them on our own! By ourselves, when in isolation, we are not able to overcome the adversities which approach us at varied moments in our lives; from closet monsters to the adolescent and adult insecurities that breed despair.

How blessed I was as a young child that my parent’s bedroom was within “screaming distance,” and my mother would answer my pleas for help and comforting. Although I could hear her footsteps approaching from the hallway it was not until my mother entered into my room that I would immediately find relief, being filled with security and joy. Even before she would turn on the light in my room, my trust that after opening the door she was in my room was all that I needed to overcome the fear of closet monsters; not because I thought the monster had left, but because I believed that being together with my mom – the monsters could not harm me!

How blessed we are as children of God, that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the Light of the world (John 8:12), and if we have faith in Him, we will never exist in the isolation of spiritual darkness where insecurities lead many into despair, but we will truly live lives united with Christ, through the Body of Christ, which experiences life filled with hope and love. Have faith that Christ has entered into the darkened room of your soul, and with the great and eternal Light of God, there is nothing that can harm us!

Christ is Risen from the dead, by death He has trampled down death, and to
those in the tomb, bestowed life!