4th Sunday of the Lent Am I : House of Light or House of Darkness! 2Chro36:14-16,
19-23 Eph2:4-10
Jn 3:14-21Dear Sisters, Brothers and Children, we are halfway through the season of Lent. The Resurrection experience is waiting for us. Are we ready and prepared for it? We rediscovered our desert days on the first Sunday, and then on the second week we realized our call to climb the mountaintop, and the third week we are invited to participate in the temple as the mingling place. This fourth Sunday challenges us to restore our houses of living light from lifeless houses of darkness. We shall be aware of the darkness around our life situation. We shall arise from this destructive house of darkness and move on to the houses of light. Every Eucharist signifies the living light of Jesus Christ. We are called to burn our disturbing darkness to be filled with light. Let us relive the collective memorial experience of chosen people
Europe has witnessed the light from the Auschwitz camp of darkness……
The whole world has witnessed peace after the dark periods of World War I and II….
Asian nations have reconstructed their lives of light after the dangerous dark Tsunami moments……
African countries have risen above the dark Ebola death days to situations of light….
America struggled through the dark days of the Civil War to the independence of light as one nation…
The house of darkness is a passing experience; however, we tend to remain within its confines due to fear, past failures and deep wounds. We choose to cling to the evil of fear and the power of darkness. We decide to isolate ourselves, believing our darkness is the end of our tunnel. We don’t want to move to the house of light. We don’t believe it because the evil of darkness is so deep and so hardened. It may be due to illness, failures, hurts, humiliation, abuses and separation. What is the house I live in? Do I move from the house of darkness to light easily or slowly? Do I give reasons for filling my house with past memories and thoughts of darkness?
In the first reading from the Book of Second Chronicles the author brings out the bitter and miserable life of the People of Israel. The first part is about the house of darkness they created and lived in. They failed to be faithful to the Lord of Yahweh who called them and gave them identity after their liberation. Because they left the light which brought them out of slavery, they formed the darkness of evil around themselves. Here they were attacked, killed and their Jerusalem Temple was destroyed. The Babylonians thought that destroying the Temple would destroy the hope of these people. After more than 400 years of rule by the descendants of King David, the Kingdom of Judah was overthrown by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC.
For seventy years, the majority of the population was taken into captivity, where in exile, they dwelt houses of darkness, until 515 BC. They did not want to look back to Jerusalem because they thought their power and identity was lost, and they felt ashamed that they were not able to protect the Temple as the center of their life. They felt humiliated and not believing in rebuilding their life and the Temple.
The second phase of the House of Light: Here after 70 years of dark exile experience, God sent the pagan Persian King Cyrus to fight for them and liberate them from the clutches of Babylonians. Cyrus says, ‘you are now a liberated people once again, so don’t find pleasure and seek comfort in Babylon by the side of the attractive rivers of Euphrates and Tigress. We have got back your Jerusalem, your land, your Temple that was center of your life and identity. I will support you to rebuild it and restore your life, come on move out of these houses of darkness to enter into the Houses of Light. It is hard to imagine how many lost their lives in 70 years due to lack hope, fear of evil and the power of darkness. The remaining people led by Cyrus walked towards the Houses of Light, hope and newness.
St. John gives the life of Nicodemus in the Gospel. He was a wealthy and well-known Pharisee; he was faithful to the Law as a member of Sanhedrin. He was a leader of Jews coming in the night to see and have a conversation with Jesus. He represents other Pharisees who were curious and attracted to Jesus’s teaching and preaching, but scared to join, to accept or to follow Him because they were the custodians and national experts of religion.
Their teachings at the synagogue were very ritual and traditional. On the other hand, the community of followers of Jesus Christ was authentic and lived a practical life with the people. Nicodemus was filled with fear, his darkness was fear; fear was his evil of darkness. Jesus wanted him to come out of this darkness. Darkness was also their knowledge of God which was very bookish and ritualistic. They did not have the total experience and understanding of God. Jesus warns Nicodemus and the other Pharisees not to look down only to the texts and traditions, but rather to look up to experience God and He will lift them up from darkness to light. We may ask ourselves whether we prefer to be in the house of darkness, or the House of Light.
What are the Houses of darkness wherein we will find shelter? We must recognize our present state, the places where our hearts and souls harbor some form of darkness that shadows truth and light from entering. Darkness such as: Fear, insecurity, abuses, destructive habits, experience of humiliation, hurt, depression, failures, sickness, excuses, unbridled pleasures and so on. What are the Houses of Light we need to restore into? Hope, fullness of life, charity, love of neighbor, a God-centered life, freedom to reach out, faithfulness, solidarity, responsibility, living as children of God and so on are the houses of light.
Paul Coelho said, “If you are brave enough to say good-bye, life will reward you with a new hello.” After two long years of hard life in prison, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged on April 9th, 1945. He was 39 years old. His last act was to lead and to share in a liturgy of communion with his fellow prisoners. His last words, “This is the end for me the beginning of life.” I am sure his works and life motivate many to look up in order to enter into the House of Light.
Last month, there was a fight between ISIS forced and Syrian forces, at the end Aleppo 32years old ISIS fighter was left with wounds presuming that he is dead. The missionary priest Fr. Hernann who found Aleppo in the desert carried for 26Km to give a respective burial in their Christian community. After reaching community was found alive treated for his wounds, he said “I was in the house of darkness with anger, bitterness, violent and enmity, can I enter into the house of light with you? he was baptized and accepted into the community.
Moses led the People of Israel for 40 years from the house of slavery and the desert houses of darkness, to the freedom Houses of Light……..
King Cyrus the pagan ruler led people after 70 years of Babylonian exile from the darkness of destruction led to the restoration of Jerusalem and to the Houses of Light……
Jesus climbed the rocky mountain with the passion of love for us, was crucified on the Cross, and rose again, to be our Light, and to put us in Himself, the House of Light……
Nicodemus came into the bright light later, to receive the Body of Jesus along with others, to witness the Light of the worlds – Jesus-Amen.
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