Let Our Lights Shine

Homily for Monday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time

The Gospel that we hear this morning happens to be one of my favorite passages in Sacred Scripture. It’s a reminder to us, as Christians, of how we are called to be lights in the midst of a world caught in darkness. As disciples of Jesus, it is our responsibility to be the instruments that point others to Him and the voices that proclaim the Gospel to every corner of the earth. But we can’t do that if we aren’t connected to the Lord.

Think about it this way. Every light needs a source. A lightbulb needs an electric current. A candle requires wax to feed it. Matches use phosphorus to burn. As those called to be lights of Christianity in the world, the same is true for us – we, too, have to be connected to the Eternal Source. If we want to be Christ’s light shining brightly from a lampstand, we must be connected to…Christ himself.

We must have a strong faith in Jesus as the Savior of the World. We have to be in relationship with Him, spending time with Him each and every day. We have to know what the Church teaches and why those things are important. We have to be courageous in our efforts to bring the Good News to the world. We need to be actively engaged in participating in the Sacraments of the Church, especially the Eucharist, the lifeblood for us as Catholic Christians. We have to rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit and pray for an increase in the spiritual gifts He wishes for us to use in our efforts to be those lights in the world.

The world needs us now more than ever to bring the light of Christ into the world. The world needs to hear a different message than the one so many are hearing. It’s time for us to step up to the plate. It’s time for us to beg the the Father for a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit, especially the gift of courage, so that we can go out and tell others about Jesus. As we receive the Lord in the Eucharist this morning, let’s ask for that grace in a particular way. Today, may we go out and let our lights shine. May we not be afraid to share the Gospel in all that we do.

Photo: David Monje on Unsplash. Used under Unsplash license.