As I listened to the murderous exploits of the mother, who, seeing her son dead, began to kill off the whole royal family, I was reminded of King Richard III of England. He was suspected of murdering his two young nephews, Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury while they were confined to the infamous Tower of London in the summer of 1483.
Throughout biblical history, stories like the one we heard today from the Second Book of Kings or what King Richard was suspected of doing in England remind us that persons seeking earthly treasures and possessing eyes that see darkness rather than light continue to be with us.
Right now, the consensus is that darkness and its destructive forces are gaining in strength. It is one thing to speak of the forces of nature that result in darkness, fires, tornadoes. There is not much we can do to prevent these; however, human darkness is another story.
Jesus has continually reminded us how we might confront darkness. Seek things that are from above, not from below. Build a portfolio weighted in love and compassion. Allow the eyes of our bodies to take in beauty, the beauty found in nature but also the beauty found in members of the body of Christ.
The New Testament Scriptures speak of the light that has shown in our darkness and for us that light is Christ. Possessing that light, we have the potential to dispel the darkness that engulfs our surroundings.
Every year we are privileged to renew the light of Christ that we receive at our baptism. Every year we celebrate the Easter Season and the power of Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection which for us is a daily event. The same is true with Pentecost and the gift of the Holy Spirit. With the gift of the Most Holy Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each share their love with us in distinct and unique ways.
The destructive darkness revealed in stories from the Second Book of Kings, or the reign of King Richard remain, but so do the thousand points of Christ’s light spread throughout the world revealing Christ to us and to others.
