A Torch in the Darkness

 

Years ago I created a simple structure for my personal prayer practice. I begin with the inner circle of our extended family members and expand the focus to includes others. Recently one person came to mind who I know is trying to “find their way” in life.  A visual image appeared to me: The person was walking alone through an underground cave or tunnel but was not in the dark; they were holding something like a small torch in front of them as they moved.

I liked this image and wondered where it came from.  I realized it had, for me, two sources: a personal experience I had backpacking in Wales and an art work I’d seen long ago.  

Backpacking in Wales: A year after college, I had saved enough to spend six months backpacking in Europe. I began with two weeks in England.  I was staying in youth hostels and hitchhiking to save money.  After a time in London, I explored the towns of Oxford and Bath and decided to go on to Wales.  As is often the case, spending a night at a hostel means you meet other travelers who may be going in the same direction.  At the hostel in Bath I met an Australian guy named Pete who was also headed to Wales and we decided to team up.  The next morning we got a ride to the seaside town of Carnaerfon.  After spending the day exploring the medieval town and its castle, we realized it was too late to make it to the next hostel; we decided to camp in the nearby woods.   As we made our way into the forest, Pete said, “I wish we had a torch.”  Taking him literally, I smiled.  Soon we found a good spot, spent the night, and moved on the next day.  Weeks later I heard an English person refer to a flashlight as a “torch.” I realized Pete hadn’t made a joke but was wishing one of us had brought a flashlight.

The Art: It took me a while to identify what art work I’d seen that showed people finding their way through darkness, but Googling around I found it:

It’s a fresco called “Christ in Limbo,” painted by Fra Angelico on the cell wall of a convent in Florence in 1444.  An ancient belief held that after his death Jesus visited the souls of the departed who had been held captive in “Limbo,” a spiritual dimension like an underground cave.  He breaks down the barrier that imprisoned them, dismisses the demon captors (the crouching figures at the bottom left) and leads them into light. One doesn’t have to believe in ideas like a literal “limbo” to appreciate the artist’s purpose.  In modern terms, we can see it symbolically: the power of divine light can reach beyond boundaries to lead people out of darkness.  The figures aren’t holding any “torches” here; their path is illuminated by the saving light coming through the now-opened passageway and carried in the golden halos each has been given as their personal source of illumination.

In the mysterious realm of consciousness, soul and spirit, literalism can be set aside.  Our imginations, both personal and shared, can communicate truths beyond ordinary understanding.  700 years after Fra Anglico conceived this scene and created it, I still find it inspiring.

Now when I pray for people who are finding their way through uncharted territory, I see them walking through a dark passageway holding a small “torch.”  The torch is a gift supplied by the silent divine force that seeks to lead all of us through darkness into light.

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Notes:

For me, this image also reflects the universal spiritual theme of light defying darkness present in such celebrations such as Hanukkah and Christimas.  In the Advent season, it’s reflected in many carols, such as “Bring a Torch Jeanette, Isabella.”

One dictionary gives several definitions of the word “limbo,” including “Any real or imaginary place of restraint or confinement; a prison.”

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