Dear Parishioners of Mary Immaculate and Saint Rose,
The theme of light and darkness is very powerful in our Catholic Faith. This past weekend, both Deacon Dave and Deacon Chris used the image of a flashlight to represent the light of Christ shining in the darkness.
So I have been thinking and praying on both being guided by the light of Christ and allowing the light of Christ to shine forth from me. I did like the image of flashlights being the light of Christ and the batteries being our relationship with Christ that gives power to our light. This was particularly powerful at the 11 o’clock Mass when Deacon Dave dramatically turned on his flashlight . . .and nothing happened! It was a classic example of how even a fancy flashlight will not work without a source of power. And Christ is our source of power!
In these dark days of February, the winter sunshine is very welcome. It reminds us that Jesus has called us to be children of the light. Each morning as the sun begins to rise, we are reminded of the triumph of light over darkness, and that Jesus has conquered sin and death through His Resurrection.
In these days of electric lights, we don’t often think of the terror of darkness unless the electricity goes off for some reason. Because we are so used to the presence of Jesus with us, we do not often consider the terror of the darkness of being without Him, unless for some reason we wander away.  But we should not fear! Jesus is always near to us. We are the ones who become blinded to His presence by our sin and doubt. It is by living fully our Catholic Faith that we live in the light of Christ. We want to be always grateful that the guidance of the Church keeps us in that light of Christ.
Years ago I remember a group known as the Christophers. They used to produce little pamphlets that were often found in Catholic churches. The motto of the group was, “It’s better to light one candle that to curse the darkness.” As I said, years ago this group was very popular, but I haven’t heard anything about them recently, though I looked it up and they still exist.  Their mission is to promote personal change, the idea being that the goodness of each person makes the world a better place.
How do I allow the light of Christ to shine forth from me?
John 8:12 “. . .I am the Light of the world.; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of Life.”
Msgr. Cox

The Light of the World William Holman Hunt (1853)