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All that came to be had life in Him and that life was the light of men, a light that shines in the dark, a light that darkness could not overpower (Jn 1:4-5).
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There is life which is far more than life. There is joy beyond all imagining. There is, right now, this minute, hope and light and healing for us who are flat on our faces in the muck and mire of our broken humanity.
To all of us who are unhinged in a world which seems utterly dark and without any anchor in reality; to us who are sick, tired, disgusted, assailed by anxiety and fear; to us who long and thirst after goodness and truth; to us on the verge of despair from the failure of our search; to us are addressed the living words of Jesus:
Come to me all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn of me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. Then you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light (Mt. 11:28-30).
I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark; he will have the light of life (Jn. 8:9-13).
Jesus knows how confused, tired, and cynical we are. He says exactly what he means, and he does exactly what he says he will do. God is active, and he makes himself absolutely available. He tells us who he is, and he promises that if we know him, we will know light, truth, freedom, and abundant life.
Some of us feel that these are wonderful words, but for others—those holy people. Not us!
Yes, what about us who are afraid of death, afraid of our neighbors, afraid of darkness? What about us who are fat and ugly, ashamed and embarrassed? What about us who are angry and hostile and hateful?
What about us who are rarely sober? What about us who have our faces in the gutter and our bodies in pain? What about us who promote injustice? Yes, what about us hypocrites and phonies, us liars and thieves, us deceivers?
Is there hope for the likes of us? How can anyone so without hope and life think that good things could come to him?
In the eyes and minds and hearts of men, it is not possible. But God is God and not man, and his love is poured forth on all people without exception.
It is, in fact, precisely to us who think little or nothing of ourselves that he most especially speaks. It is precisely to us who suffer the most hideous and embarrassing maladies that the living Gospel of Jesus is proclaimed. I have not come to call the just, but sinners (Mt 9:13).
I am one of those sufferers. I am one of those who have come right up against the wall, but who, in that position, have come to know the embrace of the resurrected, living, and powerful Jesus Christ.
I can state with conviction that God comes to the poor, the afflicted, and the lowly, to console, to heal, and to transform.
I can testify that his word is always love, and his promise is always life
