“In Him was life, and that life was the Light of all mankind.” (John 1, 4)

We are in Him and He is in us:
I would like to begin this reflection, with a very profound Christmas experience, which I had, about 22 years ago in one of the remote villages, la Esperanza (the hope) of the sierra ecuatoriana (ecuadorian mountains). At that time there was no electricity in those areas. I was invited to celebrate the Mass in one of the poor small village chapels. All had lighted candles in their hand and the altar was beautifully decorated with Christmas candles of different colors. All were very happy and joyful with the candle light around them. It was somehow a spiritual romantic experience. The Mass got over and one family invited me to celebrate Christmas with them and for the family meal. The family had three children, two parents and myself. The house was close to the village chapel. Everyone carried his or her candle along and myself too. Before we entered the house, the father of the family told everyone to turn off the candle. I was a bit surprised but was expectative of what is going to happen next. Only the man had his candle lit. We went inside the house and he invited us to sit around the dining table. Moreover, he began to say: “Christ, the Emmanuel, is the only light of this house, our lights have been merged in the light of Christ and we are in Him and He is in us. Christmas is the joy of being in Christ and He in us. Let’s celebrate his presence in and among us”. This simple man´s theology and the experience of faith took me aback.

The image or the metaphor of light and darkness always inspires and fascinates me because the light always wins the darkness, the light overcomes the darkness. God created the light to enlighten us and all that is around us. In the beginning of the creation, God created light out of darkness, chaos and confusion. God was, is and will be the light, which should shine brightly in everything. The Divine Word is the light of the world and this came to bring hope and joy to humanity.

For Arnold Janssen “the goal of the Incarnation is our union with God in Christ who was born today. The Infant Jesus is the gift of Divine Love of the most Holy Trinity to us all”. In addition, “the Divine Word has chosen to be a pilgrim with us in order to lead us to glory and to make us his brothers and sisters. Yes, God’s Son has become our brother”.

Our second communal reflection in preparation for the next year’s General Chapter says: “The Prologue of John´s Gospel is central to our Founder´s missionary spirituality. He believed with firm conviction that Christ, the Incarnate Word, is the light of the world. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. (John 1, 19). The image of the light enlightening humanity has been passed on to Arnold´s sons and daughters as articulated in the invocation. May the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief vanish before the light of the Word and the spirit of grace”.

Jesus dispels our darkness:
Time of Advent is to brighten the shadows or darkness of our lives and to grow in the light of Christ. The divine light brings hope and happiness in and around us. How is the world around us? One is tempted to think that there is a lot of darkness and less hope. Let’s think for example what is Advent and Christmas for the people in Gaza, is there a light in their lives? On the other hand, what is the light for the people of Israel abducted by the Hamas? Is there a light and a hope to them and to their families? What is Christmas for the people of Ukraine who are suffering from two years of darkness and chaos in the war and destruction? Is there light and hope there? What is advent and Christmas for thousands and thousands of migrants at the Mexican and US border waiting to cross over in tremendously inhuman conditions? Migrants in the Mediterranean looking for new opportunities in life or who escape sufferings and torture? What is advent and Christmas for those who suffer human right violations, poverty and hunger…Are there signs of hope and light in these situations? Racism, crisis in the political systems, lack of care for the nature, the uncontrolled exploitation of natural resources and mismanagement of waste, global warming and the list goes on and on… Amidst these local and global wounds light shines, can shine?

Jesus says:
“Let your light shine before others; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Mt 5: 16). As Sons and Daughters of St. Arnold, how can His light shine in us during this Advent and Christmas? Our light is our faith and hope in the Lord, our light is our commitment to our vocation. Our light is our missionary and religious identity at the service of the church and his people. Our light is the testimony of our creative discipleship to the Divine Word. Our light is to live and share with others the light of the Spirit.

Fr. Arnold says, “The Savior did not choose power and riches when he came to us. He was content with humility, poverty and even rejection by his own people. Although almost every child finds itself in a cradle, the Lord of heaven and earth was put in a lowly manger from which animals took their food”.

Our Founder was praying that “in order to save us and to teach us, you came to us as Light in our night. We want to remain faithful to your word, which You, 0h Divine Word, brought to us”. Thus, the quarter-hour prayer says “You sent the Word as Savior of the world, Make us all one in him”.

Embracing the light of the Divine Word:
A real Advent and Christmas is an experience of renewal of our lives with the warm and passionate embrace of the light of the Divine Word. It’s not just the physical warmth and light that we long for. We long for the spiritual and inner light that brightens our faith and hope in times of darkness and confusion. It’s the light of the Spirit of the Incarnate Word that enkindles our wounds, penetrates every darkness, and illuminates our commitment to God and to the humanity.

Our world is going through a hard and a challenging time of taking serious decisions, bold and right decisions inspired by the light of God and love for the humanity and the planet. At times, we feel distressed and depressed with what is going on around us. St. John of the Cross-in his book “dark night of the soul” says; a time of feeling totally disconnected from God. A spiritual darkness or emptiness prompted by our Lord can leave a person feeling lost, even abandoned. Sounds bad, right? Well, it’s not great, but it’s not the end of the story because as St. John of the Cross so eloquently expressed, that darkness is not meant to plunge us into an enduring despair, it’s a time when we are challenged to grow in our desire for God, and meant to make the heart grow fonder. The darkness then is not a depressing end but a step toward the light of an Incarnate Word. The light that eventually comes to get us out of the darkness.

Stir up the flame of Christ:
“Jesus spoke to them saying: I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (Jn 8, 12). Advent is about returning our sight to the Light of Christ. It’s about allowing that Light to fill us and change us. The Divine Word is the light of the world, and we are meant to reflect that light in our life and community. Advent is a time to remember that we have the incredibly noble task to shine the light of Christ in the darkness and in the wounds of the world. One candle on its own barely dispels the darkness, but multiple lights can absolutely fill a space with Light, warmth and love. Advent is a time to remind us that we need to “stir up the flame of Christ” (2Tim 1: 6) and to enlighten us by the fires of the Holy Spirit.

Advent and Christmas is about clearing out the darkness in our hearts and minds so we can become His Light in the world-especially if that Light has grown dim. May we reflect His Light more brightly during this Advent and may it grow within us every day.

Our II communal reflection says: “Light refers to the beginning of creation, gives inspiration, opens new perspectives, and encourages us to venture into new paths. Light makes us aware of being on the way, seeing the past and looking forward to the future. Thus, sent by the light to be the light to all people, we contribute by standing for the truth, building communities, instilling hope, offering the warmth of closeness and healing wounds. This is our mission”

St. Arnold contemplated, “How full of grace, light and joy is the birth of our Divine Savior in Bethlehem. Surrounded by choirs of angels, he was received by them upon his entry into this world. The King of Glory appeared on earth and was received by innumerable choirs of angels, his servants.” Moreover, “oh you who are dressed in the poor clothing of our flesh, Son of God, are the chosen instrument of the Love of the Most Holy Divine Trinity, the sun of Love”.

May the Divine Word help us to shine our light of faith, hope and unity during this Advent and Christmas and may it continue to grow every day of our life and in our mission!

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Navil D’Silva SVD was born in Mangalore, southern India. Since 1998 in Ecuador, he worked as a parish priest and master of novices for 8 years, 6 years as provincial and in the last 7 years as Secretary of Mission of the Ecuadorian province. For 4 years he has played the role of coordinator of the PANAM zone.