Daily reflection _ shed some light


SHED SOME LIGHT
The enlightenment that our faith and trust in God gives us, as Christians, is something many around us lack. Our hope and the accompanying joy it brings should be used to brighten the lives of others.  
Deacon John Ruscheinsky
A lamp is used to shed light on something, to illuminate the darkness, not to be hidden away in the attic or covered with a drape. The light we have to give to the world, each in our own way, should be shared and spread generously. The enlightenment that our faith and trust in God gives us, as Christians, is something many around us lack. Our hope and the accompanying joy it brings should be used to brighten the lives of others. In Mark's Gospel (4:21-25), the second parable stresses that it is in giving that we receive and that giving all or anything we have is its own reward.
The giving of oneself in service - care, consolation, sympathy, encouragement, and so on - is, in many ways, the most perfect way in which we imitate the self-giving sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In our daily lives, we carry out the offering of ourselves with the help of prayer, Scripture and worship. In the Gospel Acclamation we proclaim: "A lamp to my feet is Your Word, a light to my path." Today, Jesus declares, "Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear." And He continues, "Take care what you hear" (Mk 4:23-24). So, let our natural light shine!
For our prayer today, we ask Our Lord to help us grow in wisdom by following His teachings and imitating His holiness and faith. May God's love and light be reflected in and through our own lives!