For translation use subtitles by buttton ‘CC’ and Settings to change language – Voice: Father Elias Leyds c.s.j. (1958-2024)
Do differences exist and why is that important? Why ‘Light’ vs. ‘Darkness’ Differs from ‘Good’ vs. ‘Evil’
April 8th 2020 – Father Elias Leyds C.S.J. reflects in the Holy Week on the gospel of St.John and wants to reflect on a simple aspect of our life: do differences exist and why is that important?
Father Elias urges us to cultivate a deeper understanding of the nature of light, evil, and our inner struggles while encouraging faith and action in pursuing goodness and truth.
See below some insightful renarks of Father Elias which give ample room for thought (For the full text see the video or the Transcript below)
Distinction Between Dualities
“there is a huge difference between differences… The difference between men and women is very different from the difference between good and evil, which is also very different from the difference between light and darkness.”
Internal Struggle of Humanity, the complexity of human existence
“We can know in one life good and evil in one life. Yes, during this time on earth, we can know good and evil.”
“this incredible struggle, this incredible fight between good and evil,”
Immutable Power of Light, the supremacy of light over darkness
“the darkness has no power over it,”
“there is no real struggle between light and darkness. Light always wins.” Furthermore, he emphasizes that “darkness cannot pull the light down. It has no power over it,”
Update April 16th 2025
Transcript of spoken text by late father Elias Leyds (1958-2024) (See also video)
Before I try to make another animation about the sixth Seal of the Apocalypse, I would just like to discuss one very simple but very elementary aspect of our life, of our spiritual life, and about our existence in general. There’s two differences which we should not confuse, which are not at all the same.
As you may know, in the Chinese philosophy of yin and yang, you sort of put all oppositions, all dualities together in one system, And that explains everything. So the difference between good and bad, between light and darkness, is sort of made the same difference. It’s considered to be the same thing.
And even the difference between men and women is considered in such a way, which probably gives you a certain bias against women, because of course they belong to the side of darkness and evil if you have to put everything into the same system.
In our system, this is the system of the Logos, the system of the divine Logos, This system is not a system, by the way. It is a truth. It is a reality,of the Logos. It’s our relationship with reality and it’s reality itself. We have another mindset, which connects our mind to reality and we can resume that as the Logos. Now we’re not gonna explain Logos, but what I want to explain is that there is a huge difference between differences.
The difference between men and women is very different from the difference between good and evil, which is also very different from the difference between light and darkness. And it’s about that aspect that I want to talk. The difference between light and darkness is not the same as the difference between good and evil.
It’s in a way very much what John tries to tell us in his gospel, where he shows how there is an incredible struggle, an incredible fight between good and evil. Which actually happens within man himself. Man can know, in one life he can know good and evil. And that’s what, makes life so complicated.
We all want to do good every now and then, and that’s a good thing. And we also want to do bad things. We do want to do evil every now and then. And that’s an evil, that’s a bad thing.
The, strange aspect of our human life is because we are complex beings. We have a very complex, we have a very basic complexity, which means we are body and soul. We can know in one life good and evil, in one life. Yes, during this time on earth, we can know good and evil. And that’s shown in his gospel. John shows us that in his gospel, this incredible struggle, this incredible fight between good and evil.
But the difference between light and darkness is not at all the same thing. Light and darkness cannot touch, first of all, because they’re light. They’re not matter they’re not material. It’s light. And the difference is absolutely black and white is light and darkness. John shows this in the very beginning of his gospel by saying that the light has… the light is shining in darkness and the darkness has no power over it.
Now, the word that he uses for saying the light has no power over darkness. …sorry…the darkness has no power over the light. is very particular, because it’s actually the word that is saying, ‘pulling down’. Where, jesus is lifted on the cross, darkness cannot pull the light down. It has no power over it. It’s a very particular expression, and we could discuss about that and reflect on that a lo much longer. But what I want to show to you is that light… that there is no real struggle between light and darkness. Light always wins. Light cannot but win. It’s always there and darkness cannot reach the light.
In the same way that Satan cannot enter into heaven, but both heaven and Satan can enter into the world and struggle with each other. The struggle between good and evil.
Now we have. Some light in us, the light of our conscience and the light of our mind, our conscience, which judges our deeds, and that light cannot be destroyed.
And on the other hand, our mind, which actually wants to judge whether something is true or not. It searches truths. It searches what is reality. It searches to know and to understand reality. That light in our mind. That light in our soul, makes that soul immortal. It, belongs to.., it almost defines our immortal soul, which is created for the Logos, for the Word, the Eternal Word. But that light that we have in our soul is already indestructible.
So that is completely different, from the struggle between good and evil. It’s not comp… it’s linked, it’s related, but it’s not the same difference. And why is there such a fight in us when we are sinners? It is because we are trying to know good and evil in one life. We think that works. We want that. That’s sin to know good and evil in one life.
But our conscience will not have any of that. Our conscience judges what is good and evil, and our conscience cannot stand the evil in us, because it leads to darkness.
Well what Christ….. in fact, what we will do the coming days, we will celebrate what Christ is doing for us. He is the Light and he’s also the source of Grace.
So he gives us the strength through Grace to be fair, with respect to our conscience, to see that we are sinners, and then he gives us the strength to battle evil in our lives. He’s the Light of the World, because nothing can destroy his light in this world. His body can be destroyed and he let…,well, nobody can destroy the body of Christ, but he can choose to have the mortality of men in order to let his body become an offering to the father. An offer or Thanksgiving to the Father, a ‘eucharistia’ to the Father. By that, he battles evil and he conquers evil, and he is that Light, through which we can fight against evil in the world.
But when we have faith, first of all, be very careful to say, I have seen the light. Because we don’t really see the light. We believe the light. And also be very careful to say that there is a fight between light and evil. No, the light has no serious competitor. Darkness can never be a threat to the light.
What can be a threat to us, is our sin, our inclination to sin, our pride with respect to God, our refusal of the truth, our refusal of reality, our refusal to listen to our conscience. That’s a real threat. Because in our heart we know that sin leads to the destruction of others, but in the end, it leads to the destruction of ourselves, and that has become unavoidable since the death of Christ.
Since the resurrection, it is more and more clear that sin(ning) doesn’t need a punishment anymore. Sin itself is a punishment. That’s the light that Christ sheds on our lives, on our life. And as we live, we can believe in that light that cannot be distinguished, the light of the world, Christ, in order to, bit by bit, fight against evil and with Christ vanquish evil. And let good not just win, but let good be fruitful. If there is such a strange time in the world that after the resurrection we still have to prepare the return of Christ, if there is such a very mysterious history of man, a last phase of the history of man, where in fact Christ has resurrected, but we are still mortal.
And we have to prepare the return of Christ. The end of the world has been already, but we still have to prepare the return, of the one who brought the history of men to an end, the return of Christ. It’s because Jesus does not want to just let good be victorious in our lives, but he wants good to be fruitful in our lives, and that’s the ultimate glorification of God, that he wants to give to us.
His eternal glory that existed before the foundation of the world. Before the creation of the world, that glory, he wants to share with us. And that’s why in our lives we receive a new light, that is incorruptible, that cannot be fought, that darkness has nothing against. No resistance, no force. It can not have anything against light. That light is given to us in faith.
That light even materializes for us in the Holy Eucharist, so that not just, we can let good conquer in our lives, but we can also be witnesses of the fruitfulness of the good in our lives, through not just our loving, but our self-giving, being witnesses to the eternal truth of God in faith and in our works.
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