Luminescence
Did you know that humans actually glow in the dark? A 2009 Japanese study* found that people are bioluminescent – that we “literally glimmer." Apparently the light we give off is technically visible light, though too dim for us to see. Researchers estimate it is 1,000 times lower than the light levels our eyes can see. I wonder - perhaps our pets or animals can perceive it directly? Humans are not alone in emitting photons; scientists note that every living being emits light to some degree. Interestingly, the photons we emit are not caused by heat, but are rather due to chemical reactions of free radicals in our bodies, so it’s not like images from night vision goggles which pick up heat signatures.
No, this light is more subtle. Researchers note that the glow follows a circadian rhythm, peaking in late afternoon, and that “faces are the shiniest parts of our bodies, with our mouths and cheeks glowing particularly.”* Significantly, they also found that for the light to show up, the studied person needed to be clean and naked; apparently clothing and grime obscure the photons.
I don’t know about you, but I, for one, find the fact that we glow enchanting. Beyond the fact that it intuitively seems correct, and beyond notions of auras and such, we have always known that some among us “shine” brightly. We even have a name for them – we call them “luminaries." People like the recently deceased and beloved Bishop Tutu come to mind, for instance. What light Bishop Tutu spread throughout some of South Africa’s darkest years! What joy he emitted, what good deeds he did, what a bearer of hope and faith he was!
And there are countless faithful others whose light guides us, despite the dark times we face. Some are famous, like Jane Goodall, whose book on HOPE I received at Christmas and am eager to read, or Bishop Michael Curry, whose book LOVE IS THE WAY, is also perched on my nightstand. But most of the luminaries we know are not famous; they are the ordinary friends, family and neighbors whose light has graced our lives. You know who they are. Take a moment to say their names to yourself right now.
In Matthew 5: 14-16, Jesus speaks of an inner light, an internal alchemy of grace, which he calls upon his followers to display: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
These seem suitable goals for 2022:
Thank the personal “luminaries” we just named, the friends, family and neighbors who have illumined our journeys.
Ask for grace to cleanse us, to remove the grime and “garb” of the past, that soot might not obscure the goodly light within.
Pray for our good deeds to shine, that we might become “luminaries” to all we meet.
AMEN.
-- Kate Maynard
