held before our mind

Lewis tells us about reminding ourselves what we believe today in A Year with C.S. Lewis.

That sounds odd, doesn't it? I mean, if you believe something, why would you need to remind yourself? But as Lewis tells us, our bodies and our minds play tricks on us. If we have a bad day or our stomach acts up, we might find ourselves doubting things that we otherwise strongly believe. I don't know about you, but at 3am when I hear strange noises outside, "what I believe in" sometimes shifts a little and I find myself wondering what might be in that dark after all.

In the bright light of day, our thoughts and fears from the night before seem silly.

And so it is with our faith. Sometimes we find ourselves in a dark place spiritually. Sometimes our faith is attacked... not just by our circumstances or our bad digestion... but even by the enemy himself. We don't want to try to find a devil behind every thing that goes wrong, but on the other hand we need to remember that our enemy is real and he tries to undermine our faith anytime he can.

But when we shine the light of God's presence into our darkness, our previous fears seem silly. They evaporate and are replaced by the solidity of our faith in Him.

This is why we have to say our creed every week. Why we have to spend time in the Bible He has given us every day. Why it's important to receive the Eucharist on a regular basis (I love going to daily mass!). Because we have to remind ourselves what we know to be true in the light, but what can be hard to remember when things go bump in the night.

God, thanks for shining Your light into our fearful darkness.