3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Written by Davis Scott
Anyone who really knows me knows that I have an undying love for the band Switchfoot. I know it's no longer 2004, and I don’t care. Their music has accompanied me through almost all of my major life events, and it's rare that a day will go by when I don’t listen to them. Because of that, it’s not uncommon for some of Jon Foreman’s lyrics to be some of the first thoughts that appear in my head the moment I start to get even a little introspective. I’m not even going to try to take credit for having an original thought so let’s try coupling today’s beautiful responsorial psalm with some dear Switchfoot lyrics:
We're,
Crooked souls trying to stay up straight
Dry eyes in the pouring rain
Where the shadow proves the sunshine,
the shadow proves the sunshine
Oftentimes, in my head, I’ll replace the last line with “MY shadow proves YOUR sunshine.” I know it's cheesy, but I’ve already come clean about my music taste so there’s nothing else to hide.
I’m all too familiar with the shadows. As a sinful man, I find myself intentionally and unintentionally seeking out the darkness, and there I’ll find its fruits: fear, angst, resentment, pain, and restlessness just to name a few. But somehow there is still hope. In order for there to be a shadow there must be at least some small source of light. That’s where Jesus enters the chat. Luckily, Jesus is no stranger to entering into the darkness. In fact, it seems He tends to seek it out more often than not.
In today’s readings, we hear about the beginning of Jesus’s public ministry. If I were Jesus here, I’d personally want to go someplace nice and easy where I could get my bearings and dip my toes into the newfound ministry waters. Someplace bright. Luckily, Jesus isn’t like me. He doesn’t tend to take the easy path (from a worldly sense). He knows full well what He’s here for. To be the light in the darkness.
Jesus wastes no time seeking out the darkness. At the time, Galilee was divided into two regions, one largely comprised of faithful and worshipping Jews, and the other, a melting pot of multi-cultural Gentiles, outcasts, and refugees. I’ll let you guess which region he picked first.
The “Galilee of the Gentiles” where Jesus’s ministry kicks off is a place of darkness [cue imagery of the shadowy “outlands” in Lion King]. But while the curious Simba was forbidden from going into the darkness, Jesus sees only opportunity. He knows that light shines extra bright in darkness. Like casting light in Galilee of the Gentiles, Jesus wants to shine in the darkest depths of your soul. He’s not afraid of the cost. In fact, it’s exactly why He came here to you: because He wants ALL of you.
Here are the questions I’m contemplating today:
Where is God finding me today? In the light or darkness?
What shadows of my soul need to be illuminated?
How can I rely more on the Lord as my one true source of salvation?
Davis along with his saintly wife, Jenna, have 6 young children. Davis went to Texas A&M where he converted to the Catholic faith and met his wife and best friends. He currently lives and runs Nail and Key real estate brokerage in DFW. He’s been to over 15 Switchfoot concerts, and just took the oldest to their first.
Pray with today’s psalm.