On a day when the gospel reading reverberates with darkness and sadness at the deaths of the holy innocents, all of those little boys, it is good to remember the words of the first reading. God is light. There are dark places in the world. There are dark places within me. There is that darkness in the world that is beyond understanding. But God is light.

The darkness can be overwhelming, but we have to remember that God is light. We can comfort ourselves with the knowledge that God loves us and will be faithful and just if we acknowledge our sins. We live in the world and it is up to us to try to banish the darkness from where we are. We have to try to walk in the light. We can do that in small ways every day. We all have moments in our day where we can choose to be the light. We can be kind instead of short-tempered. We can take time to listen to a colleague who seeks solace even when our own to-do list is miles long. We can be thankful. We can say we are sorry. We can pray, holding those who endure injustice and cruelty in our hearts. We can do something for someone else.

We can find ways to challenge ourselves to be a light for justice. We can do what we can where we are. We can be the light.  Today, I pray for those who suffer and ask God to help me walk in the light.