Fr. Glenn Jones:

Driving around New Mexico, there sure seems to be a lot of crumpled guardrails these days. I don’t remember as many prior to cellphones and texting; maybe an unintended (and undesired) consequence of constant communication. Goodness knows we have to wait longer at traffic lights at times waiting on people to look up from texting. “Please proceed, sir” … or similarly-themed motivational expressions. 😉

But it seems that there’s a lot of metaphorical “guard rails” getting blasted right through these days as well. So many extremes, whether in politics, diet fads, exercise, social conversations, or whatever might be their favorite cause célèbre. And when the conversations get going on social media, lots of epithets being flung back and forth.

In such a time, we might remember one of the great contributions of the celebrated ancient philosopher Aristotle: “Nicomachean Ethics”—a work in which he famously describes the “golden mean” of virtue—the balance between vices of excess and deficiency … moderation in all things. One might envision being midway between the guardrails of common sense. For instance, courage may be the mean (a balance) between cowardice and recklessness, or generosity the balance between stinginess and extravagance. However, as an aside, in Christian circles virtues which have no excess are called the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity after St. Paul’s famous quote at the end of 1 Corinthians 13, though one can certainly go to excesses in expressing those virtues.

And regardless of whether one is a Christian or not, much wisdom and virtue may be gleaned from Jesus’ parables. Few would argue against the goodness of the father of the prodigal son (Luke 15) or the charity of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10). These, and many others, exemplify the light that Jesus calls His followers to become to the world (Matthew 5:14:16)

Without goodness, without morality, the world is a dark place—a dog-eat-dog existence. You may have known some people like that. Nothing sacred—not honesty, not integrity, not honor … concerned about nothing except getting what they can get for themselves. Looking out for #1.

What a sad existence that would be. How petty and destitute of human empathy and feeling. A puerile pettiness. Such attitudes can make the world seem hopeless, selfish and despairing. No light.

Now, whenever we read or hear about being a “light”, we get a better sense if we transport ourselves to when Jesus taught. A moonless, cloudy night in the country is darkness almost absolute. In Jesus’ time there was almost little artificial illumination in the night at all—only weak candle lamps and maybe some campfires and hearths providing weak light for a few feet. Outside of that narrow ring … only mystery. Yet we are creatures of the light and the day, and we long for the security that the light provides.

We’ve all been in nighttime power outages, and experienced the accompanying uncertainties that they bring. Groping for flashlights and candles. Stumbling over the dog. Peering out the window for prowlers … or worse.

But Jesus came with a complete moral light: the principles of selfless giving of oneself for others … Himself providing the ultimate example by dying for the world on the cross—proclaiming that He had not come to be served, but to serve.

For Christians, Jesus IS light … He IS truth … and His true disciples will always seek to mirror His light by doing as He did: seeking the good of our fellow man, even before our own. Those who do so provide hope and succor to others—showing them that there is no need to despair, but rather through us goodness and the love of Christ continues. For a candle—no matter how small—overpowers darkness, and each of our charitable actions—no matter how small—provide a light for hope, for a sense of security, for the knowledge that it is not them alone against the whole world.

Jesus brings the light of greater wisdom and consideration of one another. Before Jesus, God’s revelation to the Jews ushered in a rule of fairness and equality under law–the “eye for an eye” rules which limited punishments and more equitable punishments for the time rather than limitless revenge or vendetta for wrongs against oneself or family. But Jesus built upon this with the true and complete light: the selfless giving of oneself for others–He giving us the ultimate example by dying for us on the cross.

During those power outages even a small candle dispels darkness and gives a sense of comfort and security. Are we, then, to extinguish the light we might otherwise provide to another with some selfish tit-for-tat? Some snarky response? Is it not better to act upon the words of the proverbs: “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1), and “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.” (Proverbs 10:12)

Will our kindness do any good? Don’t know. But plant the seed nonetheless, for the unplanted seed cannot sprout. And all of our charitable actions—patience, forgiveness, consideration–no matter how small–provide light to those around us—to give hope, to give a sense of security, to give the knowledge that they do not face the world alone.

We are Christ’s hands and voice in the world, so let His actions come through your hands … His compassion be heard in your speech. For through us and through our actions the seed of goodness is scattered upon the field—to sprout, and to bear fruit.

In the Nicene Creed, Christians express their belief in Jesus as “God from God, light from light…” Yet Jesus calls us to be lights as well, like the moon reflecting the sun’s brightness. So He warns us: “If…the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matthew 6:23) However, conversely, we can discern that, if we mirror His light into the darknesses that we encounter, that darkness will flee. And then how great will be our light.

Editor’s note: Rev. Glenn Jones is the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and former pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Los Alamos.