Discernment: In today’s
Gospel, John 3: 16-21, the evangelist reminds us that “the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil. For everyone
who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so
that his [or her] works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes
to the light, so that his [or her] works may be clearly seen as done in God.”
Let’s write that as though John were addressing us
personally. It would read as follows: “When
you prefer darkness to light, you do so because your works were evil. When you do what is wrong, you hate the light
and avoid coming toward the light, so that ‘
your works might not be exposed.’ But
when you live the truth, you come to the light, so that your ‘works may be clearly seen as done in God.’”
Dis
One of the elements of discernment involves darkness. Only
if I know darkness will I know light. That is true in discernment. A discerning person goes through darkness
before coming into the light. It is because the person recognizes being in the
dark that she/he also recognizes when the light is turned on.
