11 July 2024

50+ years ago John and I visited Cheddar Gorge and went into one of the caverns, Gough’s Cave, I think. While we were there, just for a very few seconds, our guide turned all the lights off to enable us to experience total darkness and almost total silence. It was a very strange experience and not one I have ever wanted to go through again, although I am pleased that we did, just that once.
Just those few seconds were quite enough for me so I cannot begin to understand how those youngsters and their teacher, who were underground, lost in a flooded cave for ages, a few years back, managed to survive. I particularly cannot imagine how they must have felt when they first saw the divers' headlamps approaching them from underwater when they had been isolated in the darkness for so long. Neither can I understand the acceptance and courage of those who have to live with darkness, those who are blind from birth or through disease.
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it", St. John wrote at the beginning of his gospel. When you think about just how much we depend on light and how frightening and confusing it is when we are in total darkness, those words begin to have a lot of meaning.
For human beings, light is life, safety and hope, darkness is fear, panic and disorientation.
Jesus, "shines as a light in the World", “Like a candle flame, flickering small in our darkness,..”; in a world that sometimes seems very dark and incomprehensible his love, his light continue to shine steadily and clearly, bearing witness to the great light of God's love for all creation.
After baptism the candidate is given a candle and is told to, "Shine as a light in the World to the glory of God the Father." If we are to keep our baptism vows, that must be our task, too; to be lights in the World, as Jesus is, reflecting, revealing the wonder, peace and glory of God's love to all whom we meet and communicate with. To all the people who are in the darkness of fear, loss and loneliness.

With love
Jacquie xx