Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Thursday of the 22nd week in ordinary time, September 4, 2025

Delivered by Elyanne from the Parish of Saint James in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Colossians 1: 9-14; Rs psalm 98: 2-3ab.3cd-4.5-6; Luke 5: 1-11.FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT Our meditation today is entitled: From Darkness toLight. Human life is often in a tug-of-war between darkness and light. Darknessin the form of sin, bad habits, injustice, or worldly temptations can shacklepeople so that it is difficult to find true freedom.  However, in Jesus Christ, we have the promise ofdeliverance from the powers of darkness. It is He who calls man not only to seethe light, but to truly enter and live in His light. Jesus' disciples were aclear example: after witnessing His power and love, they willingly left theirboats, nets, even their jobs and families and followed Him with all theirfreedom. Deliverance from darkness does not happen solelybecause of human effort, but because of God's grace. The first step is to openthe heart to confess weakness and sin before God. When man dares to be honestwith himself and comes to Jesus with humility, he experiences the power ofliberating forgiveness. Shackled guilt is replaced by peace, and oppressivefear is replaced by joy in the grasp of God's love. However, letting go also requires courage to make adecision. Just as the disciples willingly left everything behind, man is calledto let go of the bonds of darkness freely, without burden, and without lookingback. This means a willingness to break ties with sin, abandon old lifestyles,and open oneself to the renewal of life that Christ offers. This decision isnot just to leave something, but to move towards something greater: to live ina loving relationship with God. A practical way to let go of darkness is to build adeep relationship with Jesus through prayer, His word, and fellowship of faith.As man's heart becomes more and more filled with God's word, it slowly dispelsthe darkness. In addition, concrete steps such as changing bad habits,establishing healthy communities, and channeling love to others are alsoconcrete ways to live in the kingdom of light. This process is not always easy,but with God's grace, humans are able to live it with joy. To illustrate, imagine a person who for years haslived in a habit of anger and resentment. He feels controlled by heartache, sohis life is always dark. But one day, he encountered the love of Christ throughprayer and the reading of Scripture. Slowly he decided to forgive the personwho hurt him. This decision made his heart free and peaceful, even his faceseemed brighter. This is a vivid picture of how to break free from the power ofdarkness and enter into the liberating light of Christ. Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O goodJesus, teach us always to choose Your way to live in the light. Hail Mary, fullof grace... In the name of the Father ...