“ You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness, righteousness and truth.” This exhortation of St. Paul is a strong challenge to us in this Lenten season. There is much darkness in our nation today. Certain national leaders routinely sow seeds of fear concerning immigrants, refugees, and Muslims. This casts the darkness of fear over immigrants and Muslims living in this country, and it brings gloom and darkness to those who want to come to this country in order to escape unspeakable conditions of war or violence in their home countries. There is also a shadow of darkness that is beginning to envelope our Jewish brothers and sisters. A wave of antiSemitic incidents in our country has saddened not only Jews, but all persons of good-will. There is a desperate need for the light of welcome, tolerance, respect, and understanding to dispel the darkness that now overshadows our nation. Through our baptism in Christ, the life of Christ flows within us. When we cultivate the life of Christ within us by our conscious efforts to conform our lives to his life and his teaching, then our lives will reflect the goodness, truth, and righteousness of Christ. To be righteous is to be in right relationship with God and with all of our brothers and sisters in God. Remember, we are all brother and sister to each other because there is only one God who created each one of us in God’s own image and likeness. When our lives reflect the goodness, truth and righteousness of Jesus Christ, then our lives radiate his light to the world and dispel the darkness of this world. Do we illumine our world with our insistence that our nation welcome immigrants and refugees who are in need of our help? Do we illumine our world by our embrace of our brothers and sisters in Abraham, Muslims and Jews? Are we instruments of light or darkness in our world? St. Paul declares that we are children of light. May our lives prove the truth of what St. Paul proclaims.
                                                                                           Fr. Mark Hallinan, S.J