Deacon Tam Tran

WISE CHOOSING

(Acts 5:17-26; Jn 3:16-21)

Vitamin D is the “sunshine” vitamin that has been produced on this earth for more than 500 million years. Unlike other vitamins, vitamin D functions like a hormone, and every single cell in our body has a receptor for it. Vitamin D regulates the absorption of calcium and phosphorus and facilitates normal immune system function. Getting a sufficient amount of vitamin D is important for normal growth and development of bones and teeth, as well as improved resistance against certain diseases.

Vitamin D deficiency is very common. Vitamin D deficiency causes growth retardation and rickets in children. It causes soft bones (osteomalacia) or fragile bones (osteoporosis) and increases the risk of fractures in adults. Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with pandemics and with other serious consequences, including increased risk of common cancers, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, cardiovascular disease, schizophrenia, and type 2 diabetes.

We know today that our skin has a unique role in producing vitamin D. It is the only site where pre-vitamin D (cholesterol or 7-dehydrocholesterol) under our skin absorbs UV sunlight and turns into vitamin D via a photosynthetic process. Because this special photosynthetic process depends upon sunlight, vitamin D is called the “sunshine” vitamin.

You probably wonder how does Vitamin D relate to my reflection on today’s Gospel? It is related to the similarity between how pre-vitamin D reacts to sunlight and how human behavior reacts toward God (the light).

In John Gospel, Jesus said, “And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil.” (John 3:19) If the pre-vitamin D does not have sunlight, it is useless, and it puts our body into a vitamin D deficient condition. We know that vitamin D deficiency can cause all kinds of trouble for our well-being, as described above. In the same way, if we prefer darkness to light, as Jesus said, we would have a lot of problems too.

All who practice evil prefer darkness, hate the light, and often try to hide their flaws. They do not come near the light for fear their deeds will be exposed as Jesus said, “For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed.” (John 3:20) Whoever does not believe in Jesus, who is the light, is already condemned, but whoever fully believes in Jesus – in heart, word, and deed – avoids judgment. Judgment does not come from God but rather from our own choice.

It is not God who abandons or dumps us, it is we who abandon him. We are our own judges when we deliberately prefer darkness to light. We put ourselves beyond the reach of his love, which is there and only waiting for us to absorb.

It is not God’s judgment that we are to fear, but it is our own choices which can bring us closer to Jesus or away from him. It is our own choice whether we wish to live in the light or choose darkness. The person who lives in the light, the person of integrity and wholeness, has nothing to hide as Jesus said in today’s Gospel, “But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.” (John 3:21)

May God help us to choose light rather than darkness so we can avoid judgment. Our salvation and eternal life cannot be simpler than that – our own choice.