The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear?  Ps 27:1

December 2020

“Shortly after Mariana’s birth, the doctors told us that she had a severe malformation of the brain and that she would never be able to walk or talk,” wrote Alba, a young Brazilian mother. “My husband and I felt that God was asking us to love her just as she was, and we threw ourselves — so to speak — into God’s arms, entrusting our future to him.

“Mariana lived with us for four years and simply left a message of love with everyone she met,” Alba continued. “We never heard her say the words ‘Mommy’ or ‘Daddy,’ but in her silence, she spoke through the shining light that emanated from her eyes.

“We could not teach her to take her first steps, but she taught us to take the first steps in loving, in giving of ourselves to love. She was a gift of God’s love for the whole family. We could summarize all that she was in a single sentence: love is not always explained just with words.”

Something similar is happening to each one of us today: when faced with the impossible task of governing our entire existence, we need light — even just a tiny glimmer — to show us the way ahead and the steps to take today, toward the salvation of a new life.

The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? 

This ancient prayer found in the book of Psalms tells us that, in every corner of the earth and era of human history, people have experienced the darkness of pain, fear, doubt and loneliness. Furthermore, circumstances have seemed, at times, like an “enemy” conspiring to frustrate people’s dreams for the future.

The author is probably a person falsely accused and abandoned by all while awaiting judgment. Uncertain about the future, this person nonetheless relies on God, who has never forsaken his people during times of trial and tribulation. He knows of God’s liberating actions and will find light and secure shelter in him.

Because this person is aware of his fragility, he opens up to God and trusts in him, welcoming God’s presence in his life. He confidently awaits the final victory prepared by the unimaginable pathways of divine love.

The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? 

This is an opportune time to rekindle our trust in the love of the Father, who wants the happiness of his children. God is ready to take upon himself all our worries (1 Pt. 5:7) so that we are not closed in on ourselves, but free to share our light and hope with others.

As Focolare founder Chiara Lubich wrote in a Gospel commentary in July 2006: “The word of life guides us on the path from darkness to light, from the ‘I’ to the ‘we.’ “It is an invitation to revive faith: God exists and loves me.

             “Am I meeting someone? I should believe that through that person, God has something to tell me. Do I have a job to do? This is when I continue to trust in his love. Something makes me suffer: I believe that God loves me. Something fills me with joy: God loves me.

            “He is here with me, he is always with me. He knows everything about me and shares my every thought, every joy, every desire. He shares all my worries and every challenge I face in life.

            “How can this faith be revived? By looking for him among us. He has promised to be there where two or more are united in his name (Mt 18:20).

            “Let us have an attitude of mutual love, as described in the Gospel, when we meet other people who live the word of life. Let us share our experiences, and we will enjoy the fruits of his presence: joy, peace, light and courage. He will remain with each one of us, and we will feel him close to us and at work in our daily lives.”

Letizia Magri