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Let Darkness be my Light
A meditation today from Saint Teresa of Avila …
Let darkness be my light;
may my greatness lie in the lowest place.
Send me up the short, steep path;
make the cross my glory.
- from Life of Saint Teresa of Avila
What thoughts or images emerge as you ponder this quote?
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I think of Mary and the darkness that came upon her at the Annciation, and her knowledge of the sorrows ahead when she presented Jesus at the temple. The prayer for the “short steep path” seems to me to be a prayer that we feel rather than detach from suffering as we might on the long gradual climb. Detachment from pain is detachment from the human experience, a numbness, depersonalization as the psychologists label it.
I really loved this beautiful quote. So much to be said about it. For me it’s the same as when you polish old-rusty and darkened silver. Although the process of polishing requires a lot of work and effort (and wear you down), the final results are amazing: shinier than ever, even better than when it is new. In order to become a better person, you sometimes have to suffer strong and painful moments in your life. But if during that process, you are able to hold on to Jesus, you’ll overcome everything; getting to know more about you and what you’re capable of doing in this life, of things you never thought you could.
Annie –
I love the image this passage drew forth for you, and the way you speak of experiecing suffering rather than detaching from it.
The image that came to me was of my eldest brother, who was living in Nicauragua with “Witness for Peace” at the time our brother died more than twenty years ago. Before he flew home from Nicauragua, my brother joined in a community walk in memorial of family members who had been “disappeared” or killed. His grief at our brother’s sudden death was transformed into a profound and lasting sense of unity, a unity far more life-giving than his astute and outraged sense of political and moral justice would ever have been…for him or those he continues to accompany in pursuit of political, social and moral justice.
Our brother’s death was our “short, steep path” to the light of oneness, to the glory of unity through the cross of loving.
Jean
The thought that runs through my mind is that sometimes through our pain we find real meaning of life. If everything always goes well then life is easier to accept or take for granted. Through the darkness comes the light of life and to see God’s Graces more clearly.
Right now, this passage reminds me that sometimes just like we need silence to hear the voice of God we also need to experience the dark in order to allow the light of God to fully illuminate our space. The dark can be the dryness of a spiritual desert but in a more routine way it can be simply the absence of lighting. I think about how in the moments before going to sleep it is quiet and dark (usually) and there we can find the voice of God and the light of God reaching for us and embracing us.
I just recently made the decision to apply to enter next August, and it’s been really hard for me to deal with because part of me is super excited about it and so amazingly happy about it, but part of me never wants to leave, because if I do join next year I’m going to join right out of highschool so nothing in my life has ever changed in this big of a way, so I’m leaving everything I’ve ever known, I’ve never moved, I’ve never changed youth groups so this is huge for me. On top of that I’m dealing with some health issues right now so I’ve really been feeling in the darkness right now and this is exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you so much for allowing God to use you to touch others.
JMJ+
~Betsy
Totus tuus Maria!
My lack of a good education and average intelligence make me hesitant to post my ideas with well educated women of remarkable achievements but I did give the words of Saint Teresa a lot of thought.
“Let darkness be my light;”
The darkness symbolizes many things, such as fear, pain, depression, destitution, loss of hope, lack of understanding, evil, despair, loss of faith, War, lies, the unknown, hate, prejudice, selfishness, etc.
Light symbolizes God, Love, Truth, enlightenment,
and awakening to our purpose in life.
I think Saint Teresa is saying, let me see, experience, and share the afflictions of others because the only way to see the light is to experience the darkness. She is asking God to give her the afflictions God saves for the willing (to do Gods Will), to teach them
understanding and compassion for all of Gods Creation. I was going to say all of humankind, but I think it’s bigger than that. I think it includes the animals and the envionment also.
“may my greatness lie in the lowest place.”
May my God given strengths be in humility. May it be in my awareness that any good that I can do is by the the Grace of God.
May the help and hope I can give is with the least of Gods Creatures.
“Send me up the short steep path;”
Call me in this short lifetime to the difficult road of Your servant.
“make the cross my glory.”
Shape my selfish will into willingness to do Your Will; prepare my soul to be in your presence. Make Your Sacrifice be my salvation.
Julia, You have remarkable insight. Thank you for sharing your reflection on this quote. I love what you wrote … “I think Saint Teresa is saying, let me see, experience, and share the afflictions of others because the only way to see the light is to experience the darkness. She is asking God to give her the afflictions God saves for the willing (to do Gods Will), to teach them understanding and compassion for all of Gods Creation.” This gives me much pause in prayer. Thank you.