Light and Darkness

Part V

Your Word is lamp for my feet, a light for my path

  We all should read and meditate the Word of God everyday especially listen to our spiritual fathers’ talks, at least one hour a day to grow spiritually in wisdom and knowledge. If we do not listen or obey their instructions we cannot grow spiritually or else  we will stumble down and this will be the result: ‘I would not attend to the voice of my masters; I would not listen to those who tried to teach me. Now I have come to nearly every kind of misery, in the assembly and in the community.’(Prov. 5:13-14) We will be thrown out from the assembly and even from our community. The wisdom comes from the Scriptures, so meditating the Word of God day and night will give us light in the darkness, that is Jesus himself. Psalm 119:105 (NJB): 105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. The obedience is the most important thing in our spiritual life, from the beginning and till the end of our days in this world. We have to get the corrections from the wise men (the spiritual fathers) otherwise we will be astray from the path of truth: ‘Correction is severe for one who leaves the way; whoever hates being reprimanded will die.’(Prov. 15:10) If we obey the instructions we will be respected in the community of the holy people. We should not be disrespected or neglected by our negligence towards the teachings of our teachers: ‘Whoever rejects correction lacks self-respect, whoever accepts reproof grows in understanding.’(Prov. 15: 32) The mocker cannot follow the wise: ‘the mocker does care to be reprimanded, and will not choose the wise as companions’ (Sir. 15: 12). When we respect and obey our spiritual father and our friends in Christ are the companions they are the wise people in God’s Spirit. There will be always their support and guidance through their prayers in our spiritual life. We cannot take it lightly and we will experience the blessing from God or else it will be opposite as well.