Aneel Aranha's video: January 28 2021 - Farewell Darkness- A Reflection on Mark 4:21-25

When others see the light in us – the Christ in us – there will be no darkness left in the world. Are we burning bright enough to put out the dark? https://youtu.be/Ui2kmfWOnMA Scripture Reading: Mark 4:21-25 He said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lampstand? For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.” Reflection Have you ever had a “lightbulb” moment? It’s depicted in cartoons as a big, bright bulb that comes on over a person’s head – usually with a “ding!” sound. You can see why these sudden moments of realization are called “lightbulbs" – they are like a bulb - lighting up in a dark corner of the mind. And in that light, the things that puzzled us before suddenly seem bright and clear. And then, in our excitement, we want to share these things that we’ve discovered with everyone else, don’t we? After all, what’s the point of having a lightbulb moment if we don't share it? Think of Archimedes and his “lightbulb” moment! He apparently had it when he was in a bathtub and ran into the streets crying, “Eureka”. Jesus seems to be making a similar point in today’s gospel reading. “Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bed, and not on the lampstand?”, he asks. If we have received the light (or experienced Christ), we cannot conceal it – we have to share it. Otherwise what’s the point? And how do we share it? By becoming the light ourselves. If you were walking through a lonely, dark forest, and you saw a light, wouldn’t you make a bee-line for it? So when we become the light in a dark world, others are attracted to us – to the light in us. In an expanded version of this parable, Jesus says, “You are the light of the world. Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." And finally Jesus says something very curious. “For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.” It sounds odd, and somewhat unfair, doesn’t it? But not really — if we think about it. We cannot “have” what we do not accept. So those who “have”, are the ones that have accepted the light, which is Christ. But accepting him means also accepting what he says, which is why he says, “pay attention to what you hear”. So when Jesus says “love your neighbour” we must be willing to accept those in jail, those with special needs, those who have wronged us deeply, those who are not like us, those who don’t share our beliefs. In short, everybody. Because these are all our neighbours.  And when we do, we will burn bright. And then he will make us burn even brighter. Farewell, darkness. ***