Hello friends.
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monk-in-docs.
Welcome to day 22 of our Lent 2026 study,
In the Wilderness,
Still Held.
Today we'll spend some time reflecting on John's words,
Quoting Jesus in John chapter 8,
In verse 12.
Before we do though,
Let's just stop ourselves for a moment,
Bring ourselves,
Recollect ourselves,
Bring ourselves together into this one moment which is here and now.
I invite you to close your eyes if it's safe to do so,
Allow you to feel your body present,
Your breath resting in this moment,
With our ears,
Our hearts and our minds alert to the voice of the Spirit.
And today we sit with the words of Jesus as mentioned in John chapter 8,
Verse 12,
Where Jesus says,
I am the light of the world,
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,
But will have the light of life.
When many of us hear the word light,
Sometimes we instinctively tense up.
When we talk about light,
Particularly when we're referring to our spiritual lives,
It can feel like an exposure,
Like those lights that put on people brightly when they're being interrogated,
Like standing under something bright enough to reveal every flaw.
In fact,
If you've been around religion long enough,
It's possible people have even talked about light being used in this manner to reveal the flaws.
And so for many people,
Light has been associated with scrutiny.
But in the Gospel of John,
Light is not a spotlight aimed at wrongdoing.
As we've seen,
Light is about orientation and direction and clarity.
Light here in this sense is companionship.
And remember,
It's not light that comes from one point and just brightly exposes,
It's light that comes gently and illuminates beautifully.
Jesus never says,
I'm the light that exposes.
He says,
Whoever follows will not walk in darkness.
And so to walk in light isn't to walk exposed per se,
It's to walk without fear of stumbling,
Because you can see the way.
Light is relational before it's moral,
Before it corrects and evaluates,
Light guides and it steadies.
Let's take our minds back to the wilderness terrain,
Where there's no city lights,
No artificial glow,
Just wide land,
Open sky.
And if you think about it,
In the wilderness like this,
Light is protection.
If you've ever been in wilderness places in darkness,
You'll know that just a small amount of light is enough to show the ground beneath your feet,
Revealing where to step and where not to step.
It keeps you from falling into what you cannot see.
And for this reason,
Light's never thought of as harsh when you're in wilderness places,
It's always merciful.
Now I invite you to imagine that kind of light,
Not light that's invasive or threatening,
But simply present,
Steady,
Clear and calm.
When we talk about light,
If you feel yourself tense,
Where does that happen in you?
Your shoulders?
Your back?
Your shoulders?
Your chest?
Maybe your stomach?
And now gently ask the question,
What if light is here to steady me?
What if the light of Christ isn't examining,
Not exposing,
But guiding me?
Let that sit for a moment as you breathe deeply in and out.
I am the light of the world.
Imagine light that doesn't come beaming down from on top,
But light that is beside you,
Walking with you,
Illuminating the next steps.
Where do you need clearer vision right now?
Is there a decision,
A relationship,
An uncertainty about what comes next,
A doubt that you're carrying in your spiritual journey?
Just remember,
You don't need the whole path illuminated.
You only need enough to show you where to put your next step.
And the light that Christ talks about is enough just for that.
Just in a few moments of silence now,
Let yourself feel guided,
Not examined,
Not exposed,
But guided and steadied.
And if ever you're reflecting on light in the future,
And a fear of being seen arises,
Just gently return to this truth.
Light is companionship.
The light of Christ isn't here to threaten you.
It is here to keep you from stumbling.
As we bring this time to a close,
I invite you just to imagine yourself standing in clear morning light,
Face relaxed,
Body at ease,
Seen and safe,
Guided and steady.
And as we go from this space today,
Allow yourself to walk in that light without fear.
And may grace,
Peace and love go with you today and every step of the way.
Amen.
Until tomorrow,
My friends.
Bye for now.
