I recently spent time on retreat at Buckfast Abbey in Devon. The Abbey Church has been restored in a style familiar to many of us, but a chapel built at the back stands out for its modern design.

This chapel features stained glass created by the monks themselves. It is quite unlike what we are used to — bold and weighty, set in concrete, and made up of large mosaics of glass rather than the finer artistry seen in traditional windows.

While meditating on the window of Christ, I focused on the colours that shaped His face. I began to see each colour as an element of Christ’s personality, and together they formed the image of Christ.

We too may be seen as made up of many colours — our thoughts, ambitions, beliefs, wants, needs and much else besides. Most are bright, though some tend towards darkness. The darkness needs to be faced and dealt with.

So it is with the world, made up of both brightness and shadow. There is probably more light than we realise, yet darkness can pursue and overcome us. We must stand against it. One way to do so is by allowing our own light to shine into the world.

How we behave, act and speak — and, dare I say, how we show love for one another — can bring light and understanding to others. Jesus famously spoke of a lamp hidden under a basket and a city on a hilltop, reminding us that a light concealed is of no use, while a light displayed can shine for all.

Let us, then, be beacons of light, shining against the darkness.