The daily Word of God

Dear friends:

Jesus makes it clear in the parable of the sower that the lamp should be set on a high place so that those who enter may have light. For us, the light immediately evokes the light of baptism, the overflowing light of the Baptismal Vigil, Easter. The liturgy teaches us that, as the baptized, we are “born of light, children of the day.” We sing to Christ: You are the light and you sow clarity. As children of the Church, born of water and the Spirit, we are the light of Christ, the Light of the Gentiles, as revealed in the Constitution on the Church of Vatican II. In man, the antithesis of light is blindness. We remember the man born blind or blind Bartimaeus on the road to Jericho. From the outset, we beg Jesus like the latter did. “Lord, let him see!”

This is the definition of Christ: “I am the light of the world.” A light that leaps! Those close to the light are enlightened. Christians, enlightened by Christ, enlighten the world with their works and words. This light of Jesus is the image of his divine intimacy. He makes it clear in the writings of St. John: light is truth. He who works the truth comes to the light. It is life. “Life was the light of men.” It is love. “He who loves his brother is in the light.” At the other extreme is darkness, night (“it was night,” when Judas left the Supper), sin. St. Paul exhorts us to fight “with the weapons of light.” We must use the gifts, qualities, and charisms that God places in the hands, hearts, and minds of men as lights with which we enlighten others. If they are the light of Christ, we cannot hide such a powerful light.

Man’s life is rich and happy when it is open to the light of Christ. Those who love others, walk in truth, and give life wherever they go—they illuminate the space of the children of God. Transparency of soul is the very essence of credibility. We must not allow acedia or a stale ascetic humility to drag us into hiding the light. We must make our faith public, give reasons for our hope, and show the world our love for people. This is how we will all be praised by the Father in heaven. We must know how to reflect the clarity that comes to us from Christ. If we understand that we are not the light, but merely witnesses to it, we will not fall into the trap of a haughty attitude. Let us rejoice in the knowledge that there are countless good people who bring light to their families, churches, and communities. There are many saints and witnesses whose light shines brightly. We don’t need to look for the holy in high places. We find them in our everyday lives. Pope Paul VI was right when he said, “Today’s world needs witnesses more than teachers.” We have hope that the light of Christ will triumph in the end. We are on our way to the eternal light. The Office of the Dead sings, “Let eternal light shine for them so that they do not descend into darkness.” In magnificent verses, the great poet from León, Antonio Gamoneda, boldly asks God: “Wake me up, Lord, every morning, until I learn to dawn, my God, in the great light of your mercy.”