There is much that we can point to in our world today and identify as darkness.  The moral decay and the proliferation of things that are harmful to our spiritual lives, the dismal situation of our global finances and the poor outlook for the future, the continued violence in many areas of the world leading to destabilization and sometimes war.  The threat of terrorist activity that keeps us wondering when and where the next terrorist strike might be, the trafficking in human lives forcing thousands of persons to live in slavery and fear, and one could go on and on.  There is so much that darkens our world today.  There are so many shadows of evil that contribute to the darkening of our world.

     Even given the vast range of darkness in our world and the great numbers of people that are caught up in the proliferation of that darkness there is hope.  One life filled with light can overpower a great amount of darkness.  All it takes is a single bright light shining out through the darkness, penetrating into the shadows, to bring new hope to our world.  If we can bring several of those lights together then we can completely dispel the darkness and illumine the way forward for others.  There is great power in one light shining brightly.  Given a chance to shine, light always dispels darkness.

     The Church has always sought to place her great lights on a lampstand where they can shine out to the nations and provide hope and guidance to all people.  She does this through the process of canonization of the saints.  When the Church canonizes a saint she is lifting up the light of that life as a beacon of hope for others.  I was blessed to meet and then to witness two lives that shined brightly with the light of Christ in their lives being lifted up by the Church and placed before the world for all peoples to see.  Teresa of Calcutta and John Paul II lived lives of great love and brought hope to our world through the light of their holiness.  Upon their deaths and their return to the Father’s house, there was a popular outcry among the people, “Santo subito,” sainthood immediately.  The world recognized that it needed the light of the lives of these two saintly people to be preserved and raised up to shine forth to all the world and bring the light of Christ to all peoples.  Each of them quickly moved to canonization.

     In more recent times, this past year on September 7, 2025, we witnessed the canonization of two young people in the Church:  Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis.  Pier Giorgio worked with and cared for the poor and he died at the age of 24.  Carlo was the first millennial saint and he had a deep devotion to the Eucharist, creating a website to highlight Eucharistic miracles.  He was known as “God’s influencer.”  He died at the age of 14.  Both of these bright lights continue to have a tremendous impact on the lives of young people in the Church.

     In the history of the Church, it has always been seen that in the times of greatest darkness in our world the lives of some of the greatest saints have shined forth with light.  One life lived in love, holiness, compassion, charity, truth and mercy can give hope to a world filled with darkness.  The power of that one light will always overcome the darkness of the many.  As St. John puts it in the prologue of his gospel, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”  Christ is that true light and we are called to bear witness to that light through our lives in Christ.

     Jesus teaches us in the gospel:  “You are the light of the world…your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”  We are called to be witnesses in the world to others.  We must bear the light of Christ in our lives through good deeds that help others to see the Father’s glory.  When we have the courage to live our faith, to be witnesses to the light, to shine out in the world through visible actions, then the light that we cast into the world will overcome a large amount of darkness.  Think of the effect that the lives of simple people like Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II, and Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis had on millions of people in all parts of the world.  Set on a lampstand our light can reach the darkest parts of our world today.  The light that we live and our witness to Jesus must be something that others can see.  We must strive for holiness in our lives.  So, don’t fret about the darkness and wring your hands in anxiety about the future, get out and let your light shine and the light of Christ will light the way into a future full of hope.