The Light Shines in the Darkness
“Can the darkness ever extinguish the light?”
Joan and I had just lit the candles, as we do before dinner in the season of Advent. We transfer the light from a 7-day candle that has been lit from the Bethlehem Peace Light. One of us says, “The light shines in the darkness” and the other responds, “And the darkness has not overcome it.” We sit down, give thanks for the food, and eat.
One day after this ritual, Joan asked, “Can darkness ever extinguish the light?” There’s nothing like a good question to stimulate the appetite.
I thought about this for a moment and said, “I don’t think so.” I knew this question had a double meaning, a spiritual one and a scientific one. In my mind, these domains are not contradictory, but complementary. I tried to give an answer as best I could that would incorporate these two domains.
A light shines
A candle produces light by combustion, a chemical reaction that breaks the molecular bonds of a fuel — candle wax — and converts it into other chemicals and some leftover energy that manifests as heat and light — a flame. The light of a candle cannot be extinguished by the dark. It only goes out when the fuel is used up or a condition of combustion, such as the presence of oxygen, is removed. The darkness itself has no power to put it out.
Electric lights, such as incandescent, fluorescent, and LED lights, convert electricity into some form of luminance. They only go out when their source of power is removed.
Stars shine with the light of nuclear fusion. They last as long as there is nuclear fuel to fuse into more complex elements. When its fuel is gone, a star goes out, either quietly or with a bang.
The light can fail, but not because the darkness overcomes it. Darkness only returns when an essential condition for the light is removed by depletion, by neglect, or by force. The darkness is inert, receptive. It receives the light, but cannot smother it.
Darkness and Light
Darkness and light are not opposites, but are complementary, forming two parts of a whole. Darkness itself is not just one thing; we have so many opposite responses to it. We cannot work in the dark; we sleep best in the dark. The darkness can induce a feeling of sadness; contemplation in the dark can provide a peace that only arises in the quiet of the night. We cannot easily walk in the dark; only in darkness can we see the stars.
The Light of the World
The light shines in the darkness for all who kindle it, as with a candle or a lamp, or who simply wait for it, as with the moon and the stars. Legend tells us that many years ago, men who waited for the light followed a star that led them to the Light of the World. We celebrate this visit as Epiphany on January 6 every year. The three wise men, described only in the Gospel of Matthew, have also come to be called the Three Kings even though Matthew does not call them kings. This idea is likely from the prophet Isaiah:
Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Isaiah 60:3
The wise men were probably Persian astrologers from the Zoroastrian priestly caste (Magi), who had been watching the skies for a sign of the birth of the Saoshyant (“One Who Brings Benefit”), a Messianic figure in their religious tradition. Some Christian traditions interpret the wise men’s appearance as the first introduction of the Christ to the world of the gentiles.
Those of us who remain on Earth for now are invited to kindle the light, but also to embrace the darkness. The two belong together. Their separateness is an illusion of our earthly ego, as is our illusion of the separateness of death and life.
May we have eyes to see in the dark and hearts to hold the light.