WE ARE TO BE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
Jesus, in
today's Gospel, uses the image of a lamp to describe how His disciples are to
live in the light of truth and most importantly, love.
The image of light
and a lamp tell us a lot about God and His Kingdom! Lamps in the ancient world
served a vital function, much like they do today. They enable us to see and
work in the dark and to avoid stumbling around. God's grace not only illumines
the darkness in our lives, but it also fills us with spiritual light, joy and
peace. Jesus, in today's Gospel, uses the image of a lamp to describe how His
disciples are to live in the light of truth and most importantly, love. Just as
natural light illumines the darkness enabling us to see visually, so the Light
of Jesus Christ shines in the hearts of us as believers and enables us to see
the heavenly reality of God's ways. Our mission is to be light-bearers of Jesus
so that others may see the truth of the Gospel and be freed from the blindness
of sinful ways. May we always listen to God and receive His wisdom and guidance
to help us on our journey!
The goal of wisdom
is a good life. Today we begin to read from the Book of Proverbs. The wisdom
found there is so practical and so simple that we are tempted to just let it
fly past us without allowing it to take root in our hearts. What would happen
if we all lived by this wisdom every day of our lives? There would be total
justice for all people; we would give always to all people and there would
always be good results like no hunger, all would have clothing, a roof over
their heads, friendships and kindness. WOW! Think about that. The goal that our
heavenly Father has for us all is a happy and fruitful life together. To strive
for the good life is not without frustration or suffering, there are many
challenges to anything that is good.
In our Responsorial
Psalm we acclaim, "Those who live by God's wisdom will never be
disturbed" (cf Ps 15:5c). Our challenge is to listen to our heavenly
Father and heed His voice and we will receive an abundance of wisdom, guidance
and peace. By all this we will know the joy of living in God's Light!