Br. Ambrose Arralde, O.P., on Bl. John Henry Newman's 'Lead Kindly Light'

"We want our faith to make the world into a land of bright lights and rainbows, but we persist in a world of uncertainty and shadows, where anything could be lying in wait. The Christian life has its days and nights, 'a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance' (Ecclesiastes 3:4). Even the good times are marred by the realization of their transience: 'vanity of vanities; all is vanity' (Ecclesiastes 1:1). The night seems always to linger. But, for those of faith, it is never quite free from the brightness of day. It is not the case that the two merge into a kind of perpetual twilight. Rather, they remain side by side and yet distinct.

"This is the subject of Bl. John Henry Newman's well-loved poem 'Lead Kindly Light':
     'Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom
     'Lead Thou me on!
     'The night is dark, and I am far from home -
     'Lead Thou me on!
     'Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
     'The distant scene - one step enough for me.'

"Newman doesn't ask that the Light dispel the darkness, only that it lead him through it. He doesn't even want to see what is coming farther down the road. The Kindly Light is like a candle in a dark room, clearly seen by all who look toward it. Its light, though surrounded by darkness, is not overcome by it (cf. John 1:5). Because the darkness cannot overcome the light, it is always there for those who turn to it, but not so bright as to overwhelm those who look away: 'the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light.… but he who does what is true comes to the light' (John 3:19, 21)."

In a recent commentary, Brother Ambrose Arralde, O.P., reflected on Bl. John Henry Newman's 'Lead Kindly Light' and on what it means to be led by this Light.

To access Br. Ambrose's complete post, please visit:

Dominicana: A Lamp for my Feet (9 OCT 15)

Background information:

American Catholic: Blessed John Henry Newman