Within Our Darkest Night

A beautiful Taizé chant can guide us through Advent, and we can turn to it whenever we feel lost, alone, or overwhelmed. The following line is sung again and again: “Within our darkest night, you kindle the fire that never dies away, never dies away.” The ‘dark night’ speaks to this time of year, to the Advent journey towards the holy birth, and to the times on the spiritual journey when we are bereft and stripped down to utter humility. St. John of the Cross describes the dark night as “sheer grace” because it allows us to find what burns in our hearts. We would never be inclined to do so otherwise.