Coming from darkness to light
Every year, we celebrate EASTER (the resurrection of CHRIST) though
the same celebration, but not the same way of experiencing it. I am so grateful and
thankful to God for allowing me to have a wonderful, meaningful and haunting
celebration with my sisters. Through the activities of the community during
Lent till Easter which enabled me to have a deep encounter with Christ, deepen
my Christian faith, strengthen my vocation, and most specially opened my mind
to understand the profound meaning of the two letters “D” and “L” that are Darkness
and Light, Death and Life.
As Jesus, a man who
performed many miracles, healed a lot of people, many praised him, many cried
when he looked and touched with kindness, mercy and compassion, thousands and thousands
followed him. But, at the last, at the darkest moment, nobody was beside him,
even his disciples whom he loves most could not awake with him for an hour. This
is “D” of Jesus. How about my “D”? Along my personal itinerary, especially in
my vocation journey, there are many dead-experiences that I underwent, am
undergoing. This dead- experience is not the dead of the body but spirit, the
rejection, discourage, fears. In those moments, I use to remember
the psalm sums “they have eyes but they cannot see, they have ear but they cannot
hear…” Yes! Because the fear occupied my heart, covered my eyes, made me loss
my way, sometimes I do not know where I am going and coming. But, I do believe
that those dead- experiences would never absent as long as I still live in this
world because it makes my life more meaningful. Therefore, the most importance
for me is how I overcome the power of darkness in my heart (the pride, ego,
self- center, self- closed…) it is all about how I conquer it not to surrender
to it. Moreover, it also depends on my choice, the choice to go out of
darkness, the choice to remove the door of my tomb to let the light shine into,
the choice to live in the light not darkness. As Jesus, by the power of God the
Father he was risen from the death for he is light, he belongs to the light and
he also invites me to a share of
life in the light with him as he “
called” Lazarus his friend come back to life from the death. This invitation
demands my collaboration, the will of the heart.
This experience of coming
back from darkness to light and death to life has opened the other page of my
life story, to read the real meaning of EASTER
(E- A-S T-T-E-R) of my life, it’s all
about: E- encounter, A-acceptance, S- surrender to God, T-trust in God
providence, E- embrace all with joy, and R- remain in faithful. Though many challenges, obstacles in life but
once I know how to accept all things, accept my limitation, remain in faithful
to trust and surrender to God there I live in the light of God, there I have a
life in light and there I am resurrected in Christ.
By
Nov. THAI THI PHUC
