...the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true..." Ephesians 5
What an odd concept - fruit of the light! Is it simply a mixed metaphor?
If i put a lighthouse in the wrong place a ship could come to grief on the rocks. Similarly if people have learnt to trust me, to follow my advice, to take a risk then it is my duty, my responsibility, to be worthy of that trust, not to shine my torch on uneven ground and tell them to tread boldly across it.
That doesn't seem difficult to me. I can't think why i would want to act in an unworthy manner. However Merton also talks about being "a light to ourselves". Now that's another matter altogether. I veer sharply from shining a 200-watt lightbulb unshaded on myself critically and blindingly through to putting myself completely in the shade, hoping that if i place a bright yet kind beacon for others' benefit they won't notice my darkness, unworthiness, my story.
Merton's prayer is that we might be "released from our obsession with our own egos and our own story". I am troubled by this. We, as human beings and becomings, are created holy, divine, God's dwelling place. Therefore i would be somewhat happier with praying that we might be:
released to fulfil our potential as self and as community, and to share all our stories that we might learn, grow, and remember.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
perhaps fruit of the light is a bit like a lumiere torch.. small and handy but not if you need to look at numbers in red!
ReplyDeleteYou have prompted me to look at other translations to find clarification on this bizarre phrase!!! As ever, the Message is wonderfully to the point and makes no mention of apples of the light or any other fruit for that matter!
ReplyDeleteEphesians 5:8-14 (The Message)
You groped your way through that murk once, but no longer. You're out in the open now. The bright light of Christ makes your way plain. So no more stumbling around. Get on with it! The good, the right, the true — these are the actions appropriate for daylight hours. Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it. Don't waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It's a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ.
Wake up from your sleep,
Climb out of your coffins;
Christ will show you the light!
So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!