Fear Not 220

Beloved brethren, as the shadows lengthen in this evening hour and the faithful gather in quiet reflection, let us ponder the sacred words of the Psalmist: "Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart." These verses from Psalm 97 arise from a time when Israel proclaimed the Lord’s kingship amid surrounding nations and their idols, a hymn likely composed after some deliverance from pagan threats, reminding the people that the true King reigns from heaven with righteousness and justice as His throne. In the early Church, these words echoed through the basilicas during times of persecution and catechesis. St. Augustine, in his Enarrations on the Psalms, teaches that this dawning light is none other than Christ Himself, the true Sun of Justice who rises not merely upon the physical horizon but within the souls of those made righteous by faith. The joy promised to the upright heart, he explains, flows from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, transforming trials into occasions of hidden gladness, much as the martyrs found strength in the darkness of the arena. Drawing from the rich treasury of the Catena Aurea, we hear St. John Chrysostom observe that the righteous receive this light progressively, as the dawn unfolds from faint glow to full day, signifying the gradual illumination of the soul through the sacraments and the moral life. The upright in heart, he notes, are those whose intentions are single and pure, free from the duplicity that clouds the vision of God. St. Ambrose adds that this joy is not the fleeting pleasure of the world but the deep peace known to the Church in her liturgy, especially as evening falls and we await the eternal day. Historically, the Fathers applied this psalm to the conversion of the Roman world, when the light of the Gospel dispersed the shadows of idolatry. In our own evening meditation, let us examine whether our hearts remain upright amid the distractions of the age, for only then does the promise hold: light will surely dawn, and joy will fill us even now as a foretaste of the heavenly kingdom. May this word strengthen you, dear children of the Church, as we rest in the Lord’s faithful care until the morning breaks.