It is easy to forget how dark darkness can be.
Many of us live in places where real darkness is rare. Our dark times are diluted with night lights, lights over the door, street lights, lighted signs, and other things that glow in the dark. We turn our eyes toward lighted screens, hiding our faces from the power of darkness.
I remember living far from here, where darkness really was dark. Driving home after dark with only the headlights to cut through the darkness. Every so often, in the distance, lights from a barn or the window of a farmhouse would shine like stars.
I spent time at New Camaldoli Hermitage this week. One of the many things that draw me there, along with the beauty and the silence, is the rich darkness. When I step out onto the porch of my trailer early in the morning headed for Vigils, it is dark. You can hear faint sounds of the ocean and feel the wind, and you can see all the stars.
The sky is filled with stars.
Spiritual life is like the light from a distant farm; like a star shining in the dark night.
It is easy for us to forget that spiritual life is born in darkness.
We find ourselves surrounded by the darkness of confusion, or pain, or loss. We do not know where we are, cannot find our way. We are afraid we may be lost and never find home again. Then, when it seems there is no hope, light shines in the darkness.
We look for ways to dilute our darkness, forgetting that spiritual life shines brightest where our darkness is most deep.
Where are the dark places spiritual life shines for you today?
How does spiritual life help you find your way?
[Image by echiner1]
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