Have you already experienced the dawn? The power of the night is losing its power and with the new day more and more beauty can be seen, and you felt and experienced that the power of the day enriches more. And the dawn brings more to him who longed for the morning when the night was long and unpleasant because of sickness and hardship. And dawn brings even more to those who look forward to a new day because something pleasant and beautiful awaits them.
Evangelist St. At the beginning of the work of the Lord Jesus, Matthew quotes the words of the prophet Isaiah: “The people living in darkness saw a great light. The light shone on those who were sitting in the dark region of death” (Is 9:1; Mt 4:16).
Light and darkness are often mentioned in the Old Testament. The first words that we read in the Scriptures, which were spoken by God, were: “Let there be light” (Gn 1,3). Scripture mentions light not only in connection with natural daylight, but also with the coming into the world of the Word, Jesus Christ, because “in him was life, and the life was the light of men” (Jn 1:4). At night, the shepherds receive the announcement of the birth of the Savior. During the night Joseph takes the child and his mother and they flee to Egypt, and at night Joseph receives a message to return to Nazareth. “Jesus grew in wisdom, age, and favor with God and people” (Luke 2:52). John the Baptist prepares the way for the Messiah. Finally, John baptizes Jesus. It can be said that the appearance of Jesus ushers in a new day when “from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace” (Jn 1:16). After the imprisonment of John the Baptist, Jesus leaves Nazareth and comes to the region of Zebulon and Naphtali, where is the city of Capernaum, which already 700 years before the birth of Christ is written about as a land of the Gentiles. Here people hear the words from the mouth of their Redeemer Jesus: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 4:17). These words are the beginning of a new day. Jesus invites people to cooperate for salvation. He knows that believing and believing in God will be difficult. Man needs a man to be his witness, teacher, leader, and counselor. Jesus calls the first people to follow him so that through them many will come to the knowledge of the truth. Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, as well as the Zebedee brothers Jakub and John, were fishermen. He said to them: “Come to me and I will make you fishers of men” (Mt 4:19). Until the end of time, God will call new fishers of men to catch in the net of the glad tidings of the Gospel all those who will not only wish to be healed from ailments and diseases of the body,
Events from the Scriptures do not lose their relevance and significance until the end of time. In the same way today, in the life of every person, but also of time, the dawn occurs again and again. We come into the world marked by sin. Through the Church and in the Church, we are called to accept the Light – Jesus Christ as our God and Lord. Even today, Jesus passes by and invites cooperation in proclaiming the Gospel. He invites us to first discover him, get to know him, and experience him in our lives. Today, God wants to put us on our feet so that we can give our lives true meaning. In every person’s life, God gives a new day. The path to Christ is difficult. Whoever accepts Christ as his God and Lord will not be saved from temptations, difficulties, and crosses. Often the opposite. Gold is purified in fire. And heaven is conquered by violence, and only the violent take it. Whoever accepts Christ as his God and Lord will find the way in him,
Every encounter with God resembles a flower that gives meaning to life, the will to live, as Wolfgang Borcher talks about in the novella Daisy. The prisoner from cell 432 goes for a walk in the yard. Who does he meet there? Barking dogs and uniformed guards. He somehow still perceives the fellow prisoner in front of him and behind him, who like him are just numbers, walking corpses without a face, who look at the fence that is the circle of their lives. One day, the prisoner from number 432 discovers a daisy in the yard. The short story says about a new life experience:
It’s comical. A bored, snotty young man stands in a cell and holds a flower in his hands under a high window. In the ray of light from the sun falling through the prison window, he enjoys an ordinary daisy. This person, accustomed to smells, alcohol, and colors, puts a daisy on his nose. A person who for months has smelled nothing but the wood of a wooden bed, sweat, puts a flower to his nose and absorbs the entire essence of the flower into himself so hungrily that it becomes his nose. Something opens up to him, and it penetrates him like a light, which he had not paid attention to before. And that through a small flower. He closes his eyes and silently feels the wonder. He feels the smell of the earth, the sun, the taste of honey… He accepted the pure coolness of the flower as the voice of his father, which he did not perceive in the past…
Borcher describes an experience that profoundly changed a lonely man who began to perceive the fullness of his life and cannot help but be amazed that he had no idea of such a thing.
When Jesus invites Peter, Andrew, James, and John, he also invites us. Jesus does not want to be the light alone. Jesus’ words belong to us: “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:14). Through us, Jesus wants to bring himself to the world. A world without God is darkness, uncertainty, fear, and hopelessness. What kind of life is this? Isn’t it a prison? The example of a Christian becomes to many in the prison of sin what the daisy did to the soul and life of the young man from cell 432. The voice of Christ does not only sound from pulpits, but from every word and example of a Christian who accepted the invitation of Jesus: “Follow me” (Mt 4:19). The world in darkness needs an example that will convince it that light is more valuable, more beautiful, healthier. The world in darkness needs to hear about true joy: pure, without pretense, without disappointment. The world in darkness needs to convince itself that it is possible to live more fruitfully, freely, and joyfully in the light. After all, the prophet Isaiah already wrote: “The people living in darkness have seen a great light.” The light shone on those who were sitting in the dark region of death” (Is 9:1; Mt 4:16). Jesus is our brother, and we are to do the will of his Father. He came as light, and we also become light when we receive baptism and live according to the Gospel.
We must keep developing and deepening our relationship to the word of Withes, growing and becoming stronger through God’s word. Christian symbols, images, and other objects also bring light into our lives. And the very powerful and encouraging factor is, for example, pictures with a Christian theme in our families, a cross on the wall, or a small altar in the apartment.
It is right that you, young people, know how to find time for music that can bring peace and joy to the soul, and not just tension, noise, or stress. Knowing how to find time to replenish the state of graces after a week of fulfilling the duties of people, citizens at Sunday Mass as Christians. When we realize that we are under the pressure of darkness, especially temptations, seductions, and sin, it is necessary to find time for purification and strengthening in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Sacrament of the Altar. When we know that wrong information is creeping into our conversations, it is right to immerse ourselves in the silence of prayer and the text of Scripture.
Somewhere they built an institution for the blind without windows. They were convinced that those who cannot see do not need the light of the sun, and thus do not need windows either. But it happened that one by one the blind men began to wither more. Many became seriously weak and sad. They could not detect any disease. However, the management of the institute moved the blind people to apartments with windows, and their health condition soon improved.
When the lack of light affects the organism of the body so quickly, how much more appropriate is it to pay attention to the light of the Holy Spirit?
It is time not only to find your relationship with God, but also to improve and deepen it. Accepting Christ as the light of the world is not only topical, but equally necessary and important.
Do you remember what you felt in the thick darkness when a candle, a small light bulb, etc. lit up? And that cannot be compared to a new morning. And can the new morning of the day be compared to what God has prepared for those who love him? Even today’s Eucharistic celebration is an opportunity to deepen your relationship with Christ – the Light of the world.
