Seeing the light applies to inner and outer worlds

After a long hard winter, the increasing hours of sunlight are a welcome sight. When the warmer days bring forth the blossoms and green grass and leaves, we are reminded of all the preparation that took place in the darkness. Our lives are based on cycles of light and dark, being awake and asleep, experiencing joy and sorrow and life and death.

The book of Genesis tells us that God said, “Let there be light,” and the whole process of creation began to unfold. Humankind not only extends that creation with each new discovery and innovation but also participates in its process. Out of darkness and ignorance comes light and understanding.

When the night sky is particularly star-studded, I often think about how awesome it must have been for primitive peoples to look at the stars, planets and meteor showers without knowing what they were. No wonder the sun and the moon held such great power as they ordered their life according to the movement they observed. It must have been a time of great jubilation once the making of fire was discovered and they could make their own heat and light.

Light is necessary to visually see an object, as darkness does not recede unless light is present. We, also, use the phrase, “see the light,” to indicate that we have come to understand something that we didn’t know. In cartoons, a picture of a light bulb is an indication that an idea or new recognition has taken place. So, the concept of light not only has an important place in our outer world but in our inner world as well.

When I started working for state government, I was surprised to find that managers of snack bars in all the departments were blind. I had had no interaction with anyone who was blind until one of my colleagues accompanied me to the snack bar the first time and introduced me to the manager, “Sam, this is Agnes.”

From that day on, Sam knew the sound of my voice, remembered how I liked my coffee, and always called me by name. He was gregarious and asked a lot of questions. When I would answer, his response was often, “I see, I see.” Looking into his vacant eyes, I knew he had a depth of perception that few sighted people have.

Most people marvel at the story of Helen Keller, who was both blind and deaf. With the help of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, was able to achieve great depths of understanding and wisdom. An often-quoted saying that shows her inner light of wisdom is, “The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.”

Even more important than natural light and the inner light of understanding is our connection to God through the light of the soul. An 11th-century Benedictine abbess, Hildegard of Bingen, said, “The soul provides life to the body just as fire pours its light into the darkness.”

When Jesus, the Son of God, was born, the Wise Men followed a star to the place of his birth and he is described as the being the Light of the World who has come to show us the way to God. Other traditions have an “enlightened one” whose guidance they follow. The spiritual life involves developing and nurturing the inner light of the soul and sharing it with others.

In the Gospel of Matthew, 5:16, he says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.” We are also instructed not to hide our light under a bushel but to put it to good use.

When the natural world unfolds its beauty in spring, we marvel at the complexity and grandeur of creation. It is also a good time to reflect on our own inner unfolding and the important role of creation that only we can perform as we walk across the stage of life.

There is a car commercial that asks, “When you turn your car on, does it return the favor?” It is important to know who we are, what we believe, and what inspires us as we navigate the mountains of challenges and valleys of difficulties on our path toward the eternal light.

X Dr. Agnes Martinko is a member of St. Edward Church in Youngstown.