The Light of Life

Gospel Reflection for April 7, 2025

“Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ So the Pharisees said to him, ‘You testify on your own behalf, so your testimony cannot be verified.’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Even if I do testify on my own behalf, my testimony can be verified, because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge by appearances, but I do not judge anyone. And even if I should judge, my judgment is valid, because I am not alone, but it is I and the Father who sent me. Even in your law it is written that the testimony of two men can be verified. I testify on my behalf and so does the Father who sent me.’ So they said to him, ‘Where is your father?’ Jesus answered, ‘You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.’ He spoke these words while teaching in the treasury in the temple area. But no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.” (Jn. 8:12-20 NABRE)

We’ve all experienced what it’s like to lose sight of our Lord. Whether we allow sin to come between us and Jesus, or we get caught up in the distractions of daily life, there have been times where we did not prioritize our Lord. There have been times where we allowed other aspects of our lives to take us on a path away from God. We have all wandered from Him at one point or another.

Those times of our lives are always characterized by darkness.

And we can all remember the moment or moments we realized or finally acknowledged our sins and mistakes, which divided us from Jesus and hindered our relationship with Him, and then the unbounded peace that enveloped us once we repented and confessed our sins to our loving and merciful Father.

When we whole heartedly turned back to God and re-centered our focus on Him, we experienced the warmth of His light and love.

When we are one with God, and unceasingly strive for perfect communion with our Lord, His light and peace fills us and casts out all darkness. Even when we are in the midst of struggles and turmoil, when we keep our sight on Jesus, His light protects us from the dark. His love fills us with His peace.

May we recognize the reality that when we turn from God, our life becomes dark, because we do not have true life without Jesus. Yet, when we seek to grow in our relationship with the Lord and live as He has called, our life becomes light, and we are given abundant life from our Heavenly Father. May we thus always pursue Jesus so that we might receive His light, and also share and spread His light amidst the darkness of the world.

“A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” (Jn. 10:10)