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Why do they choose the darkness (Wednesday 2nd Week Easter 2020)
John 3
The light and the darkness; the day and the night: all men understand because all of us experience every single day. So when Jesus declared he was the light of the world, he didn’t really need to explain too much what he meant. Likewise, when St John contrasted light and darkness as in today’s gospel, he didn’t have to comment too much why the evil belongs to the darkness and the good to the light.
What St John focuses on is why some choose rather the darkness than the light. There are many excuses for choosing or remaining in the darkness. Some are greedy; some lustful; some of the bad tempers; some disappointed at life and the world; some filled with hatred; the list will not end. Nevertheless, these excuses cannot be reasons to choose the darkness or to remain there, because there are also many who have overcome these excuses and choose the light.
Let’s say there is a man who was abused when he was young. He has to carry his wound all his life. The scar will not disappear. If he is full of hatred against the whole of humanity and the world, it is understandable. However, unless he has lost the capability to exercise his free will, he can still choose either to live a life of revenge or to live a life of forgiveness. Even if he chose the life of revenge, it would be understandable. But we would have to say he chose evil.
When we choose evil, we experience the darkness: endless confusion, constant self-hatred, bottomless sadness, inextinguishable shame, unstoppable cursing, unavoidable restlessness and anguish. But you might say many evil people look happy and prosperous. Yes, they appear to live a favourable life. But are they truly peaceful? Ask a military dictator. Ask a Mafia boss.
Then, eventually, we have to ask: why do people still choose evil?
It is because they deceive themselves. They attempt to hide their darkness with the darkness. They try to fix their evil with evil. It is not surprising those who choose evil are called the children of darkness, the children of Satan, because Satan is the father of lies.
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By Fr Swann KimJohn 3
The light and the darkness; the day and the night: all men understand because all of us experience every single day. So when Jesus declared he was the light of the world, he didn’t really need to explain too much what he meant. Likewise, when St John contrasted light and darkness as in today’s gospel, he didn’t have to comment too much why the evil belongs to the darkness and the good to the light.
What St John focuses on is why some choose rather the darkness than the light. There are many excuses for choosing or remaining in the darkness. Some are greedy; some lustful; some of the bad tempers; some disappointed at life and the world; some filled with hatred; the list will not end. Nevertheless, these excuses cannot be reasons to choose the darkness or to remain there, because there are also many who have overcome these excuses and choose the light.
Let’s say there is a man who was abused when he was young. He has to carry his wound all his life. The scar will not disappear. If he is full of hatred against the whole of humanity and the world, it is understandable. However, unless he has lost the capability to exercise his free will, he can still choose either to live a life of revenge or to live a life of forgiveness. Even if he chose the life of revenge, it would be understandable. But we would have to say he chose evil.
When we choose evil, we experience the darkness: endless confusion, constant self-hatred, bottomless sadness, inextinguishable shame, unstoppable cursing, unavoidable restlessness and anguish. But you might say many evil people look happy and prosperous. Yes, they appear to live a favourable life. But are they truly peaceful? Ask a military dictator. Ask a Mafia boss.
Then, eventually, we have to ask: why do people still choose evil?
It is because they deceive themselves. They attempt to hide their darkness with the darkness. They try to fix their evil with evil. It is not surprising those who choose evil are called the children of darkness, the children of Satan, because Satan is the father of lies.