Advent Week 1, Day 2: Holy Darkness

Do not fear, for I am with you.

Do not be afraid, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you,

I will uphold you…Isa. 41:10

I am about to do a new thing;

now it springs forth…Isa.43:19

God will enter into your night,

as the ray of the sun enters

into the dark, hard earth,

driven right down

to the roots of the tree,

and there, unseen, unknown,

unfelt in the darkness,

filling the tree with life,

a sap of fire

will suddenly break out,

high above that darkness,

into living leaf and flame.

~Caryll Houselander 

Darkness is a natural part of life and an essential element of growth and health.  Holy darkness bears a touch of God’s grace and transforms us if we are open to its gifts.

Some darkness is good and nurturing. The seed in the earth must have darkness in order to grow.  Trees and plants send down their roots into the dark soil where they receive water and nutrients for growth. We were formed in the darkness of our mother’s womb. In the evening after a long day of work, we are ready to turn off the lights and let the darkness cover us, bringing needed sleep to refresh our bodies.  Only when it is dark can we see the amazing night sky with its display of the moon, stars and planets.  Recently many people were privileged to see aurora borealis when the night sky lit up in waves of different colors. This phenomenon doesn't happen very often and leaves us in awe and wonder. So much good happens in the darkness.

The Christ was conceived and nurtured in the womb of darkness.  It was in the womb of darkness that the seed of the world’s life was hidden.  Christ came forth from the darkness to be Light for us.   - adapted from Caryll Houselander

Other darkness is destructive, and bleeds love from the world.  It is the darkness of war, racism, greed, deceit, and all non-loving in whatever form it takes.  Christ came to stand up to this destructive darkness and to light our path with goodness.  This Love Incarnate came as a Light radiating compassion, a Torch bearing truth, a Beacon offering guidance.

- adapted from Joyce Rupp

Song: Darkness Cover Me, Sara Thompsen

Lyrics:

Darkness cover me

like a blanket of night

Oh, cover me lightly

Shadows gather around me

Deepening darkness

Whispering softly

Holy Maker of moonlight

Singing through starlight

Keeper of all life

Hidden Seed deep in the dark soil of the earth

Fertile Ground, Womb of the Night, bring us new birth

~@2012 Sara Thomsen

Reflection: Take some time just sitting quietly in the dark, in silence.

• What is the holy darkness in your own life? These holy dark experiences bear the torch of God’s grace and wait to transform you if only you will open up to their gifts.  Sue Monk Kidd states, “Too many of us panic in the dark.  We don’t understand that it’s a holy dark and that the idea is to surrender to it and journey through to the real light.”   

• What is the destructive darkness in your life?  Fears that torment you with questions and show you imaginary monsters of the present or future.  Doubts and haunting questions rise up and threaten to choke your hope.  Name this darkness.  Imagine someone holding a “hall light” for you: someone who never gave up on you.  Imagine God, as your “hall light” saying, “Do not fear, I am with you.”  

• Contemplate the destructive darkness in our world – racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, poverty, violence, war, greed, etc. Imagine Christ’s Light dispelling the destructive darkness.  Pray that the destructive forces would cease.  Pray for peace in our world.

Prayer: May I surrender to the holy darkness and journey through to the true Light.

References:

• Monk Kidd, S. (1990) When the Heart Waits. NY: Harper Collins Publishers

• Rupp, J. & Wiederkehr, M. (2005). Circle of Life. Notre Dame, IN: Sorin Books

• Rupp, J. (2000). Out of the Ordinary. Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press

• Houselander, C. (1990) The Reed of God. Westminster, MD: Christian Classics, Inc.