By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON JR.
(Editor’s Note: The Wanderer on page 1A of its April 23, 2020 issue featured an article by Fr. Richard Breton on his experience of administering the Anointing of the Sick and bestowing the Apostolic Pardon on a dying 94-year-old woman with COVID-19.
(Fr. Richard D. Breton Jr. is a priest of the Diocese of Norwich, Conn. He is currently the parochial vicar of St. Andrew Parish in Colchester and St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Lebanon. He received his BA in religious studies and his MA in dogmatic theology from Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Conn.
(This is the first one of his weekly columns for The Wanderer.)
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A few weeks ago, The Wanderer published an article entitled, “In the Midst of a Pandemic . . . The Priesthood Is a Beacon of Light.” In that article I shared how the priesthood becomes for us a beacon of light in the midst of the darkness we often find ourselves in life.
Not long after its publication, I was approached and asked if I would consider writing a column. After prayerful consideration I decided to continue the theme of my previous article: The Priesthood — A Beacon of Light.” I am honored to have been asked to continue our journey together as we focus on the importance of the priesthood through whom we receive the Beacon of Light who is Jesus Christ, Our Lord.
Every journey has a beginning from where we receive the instructions that will lead us to our final destination. If we are going on a journey, we prepare by deciding which route we will take. In years past we would have taken out the map and plotted our way.
In more recent years, through the advancement of technology, we have Global Positioning Satellites, or GPS, to assist us in reaching our destination. For us as Catholics, we find our map or GPS in Sacred Scripture. Through God’s Holy Word we enter into this column considering the origin of light, in particular, how this light becomes for us the beacon that will lead us in our quest.
Today we begin this quest by returning to the Old Testament in particular to the Book of Genesis and the story of creation.
“In the beginning God created heaven, and earth. And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God moved over the waters. And God said: Be light made. And light was made. And God saw the light that it was good; and he divided the light from the darkness” (Gen. 1:1-4)
In the first four verses from the Book of Genesis we experience the personal will of God. This will be expressed in His Word. Through this Word God bridges the gap that exists between God and the formless abyss.
Then for the first time we hear God speak and He says: “Light Be Made!” The light is created, and it transforms the void and darkness into something new. The Light becomes the most sublime of all elements because it corresponds to the will of God and so it is considered good. God creates the beacon, or light, that will show the way on the journey of Salvation. What about us? How do we participate in His plan of salvation?
“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7).
In Genesis chapter two verse seven, God Himself breathes into us the breath of life and gives us a share in creation. As living breathing human beings, we become participants in God’s plan of creation. As participants we benefit in all that God creates. The light that God created proceeds us and lights the way along the path of life. God provides many opportunities for us to follow the light as we journey with Him.
The Covenant
So often we hear the stories of the Old Testament. I wonder if we ever stop and recognize the great symbolism at work. Sacred Scripture is God’s living Word and it is meant to enlighten us.
One story that enlightens us is Noah and the Ark. In Gen. 6:5 it says: “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” God was troubled by this because He had created the human race for good and not evil. Then God said: “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created — and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground — for I regret that I have made them” (Gen. 6:7).
God, however, finds favor with Noah who was considered a righteous man. Noah builds the Ark and fills it with two of every kind of living creature, both male and female. For forty days, Noah, his family, and the animals and creatures in the Ark endured the flood water. They were tossed around and felt the battering rain. For days, weeks, even months they endured the worst of conditions.
After the flood waters receded, Noah sent out a dove and it returned bearing an olive branch, a sign of peace. God realized the darkness of His wrath and promised to make a covenant with Noah and his descendants. What was this covenant? It was a sign of light, a rainbow! God uses His first “good” created thing, light, to establish a covenant with humanity. He tells Noah and all of us that whenever we see this sign in the sky, remember the covenant I have made with you for all ages unending.
How beautiful! God’s gift of light becomes for Noah, and for us all, the first covenant between God and Man.
God speaks to us every day, but sometimes we fail to recognize the Lord’s pattern in our lives. This can be caused by many different things. Some of these things may include: a difficult struggle in our lives, an attachment to a particular sin, a poor prayer life, or even a lack of understanding of the faith itself. These distractions blind us from seeing the beautiful encounters God puts in our path every day.
The Trumpet
I’m reminded of an experience I had in 2005 as I began a Clinical Pastoral Education Residency Program. This program trained me to become a hospital chaplain. It was a great experience, but it had its challenges as well. On the first night of my hospital on-call responsibility I was presented with a very dark and difficult experience.
Within a span of three hours, six patients died and I had to juggle these deaths while ministering to these six families. It was quite an introduction to the ministry of hospital chaplains. A few minutes passed and I heard over the intercom what sounded like a little trumpet blast. I inquired what the little trumpet sound meant and was told it lets everyone know a new baby is born.
Within the midst of the darkness of those six deaths, God reminded us that there was still a ray of hope. The sound of the little trumpet heralded the news that the darkness had been transformed into the light of new life. From that night forward every time I heard that little trumpet over the intercom, I smiled and thanked God for the gift of life.
From the beginning moments of creation, God has continually used the gift of Light to show the way. As we journey along the path of life, we will encounter this light many times. It may be burning brightly like the morning sun, as dim as the setting sun or in the sky as a beautiful rainbow reminding us of God’s covenant with Noah. We may recognize it in the beautiful gift of a newborn child radiating with the light of new life.
Wherever we encounter the Light, be sure of one thing: It is with us forever. May we open our eyes to see the Light in our lives and cherish it, because it is the first gift God has given to us His loving creation!
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