Shadow's Shadow

A shadow has no shadow. Shadow isn’t light and shadow isn’t solid but both are required for its existence. A flower’s beauty is but a marred mirror reflecting the face of Him who spoke it into existence. A dog’s loyal affection is a faint echo of that infinite friendship which knows no bounds. Human love is an order of magnitude above plant and animal; an elegant shadowy allegory of His perfect and unconditional love. All of nature, all of humankind and all relationships speak in hushed but eloquent words of the Creator; a shadow formed by Him Who is Light shining into this world. “But,” you object,“ “what of evil?” How can the horrendous things we do to one another speak of Him who is only good?” Is it possible that even this, the unthinkable, speaks of Him, for are not all things of Him, “through Him and to Him (Rom 11:36)?” If our reality is a shadow of the real reality; of that other realm, is not evil a shadow of those good things which are themselves but shadows of Him? Is not all evil a parody, a mimicking a distortion of something earthly but nonetheless good? Is not theft a shadowy shadow of the reward of work? Is not adultery, a negative of the good love that reflects His love? Is not murder an attempt at justice? Is not pedophilia a monstrous distortion of parental love? Evil is not the opposite of God. There is no opposite of Him. If there were an opposite, then it would be equal in some way. We would have a Zoroastrian conflict of a good and evil God contending for supremacy. As a shadow is only an absence of light; Darkness cannot put out light; it is merely its absence. Evil is but a parody, a dim shadow of the shadows of good. Even it is to His glory, revealing a lack, an absence of that which is good; of He who is good. We cringe at evil, rail against it in others, fight it,. But it is an empty nothing and even that void reveals the outline of the bright light who is only Good. A shadow’s shadow; empty, powerless, defeated. Turning our eyes on Jesus, looking full in His wonderful face, the things of earth do grow strangely dim; the things of heaven do grow wondrous bright in the light of His glory and grace. Even in our most defeated evil acts, we reveal something about Him to ourselves, to others. The worst of all mankind, at some level in some way, makes His glory brighter, His love more evident. The mightiest railer against truth and Truth is singing a hymn of praise, unwillingly, unknowingly. Some day, some way, we will see all for what it truly is; we will know as we are known; see as we are seen and truly worship in spirit and in reality Him who is the real reality. Among us we have the victims of rape, incest, pedophilia, murder torture. Holocaust victims still live. Many are disabled, maimed and born into a life of less-than-normal existence. What can I say to them? Not being of the first class, I cannot answer, but being of the second, I can say clearly that there is justice and that given eternity, all will be remedied one day. Will not He who is Just be just? Will He not bring all things into judgment and right the wrong and give the wronged satisfaction with which they will be content? This is faith, trusting that He Who loves all will redeem all and will make all things turn out right. Should I be the victim of something far worse than what little I have endured in this life, may I have the patient endurance, the trust and faith to continue to believe that this will be so. 09.20.12 e