You are called to be light to the world, right here, right
now. Are you ready?
In our readings for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the
Lord, which we celebrate this Sunday, light is the guiding thread that takes us
from one end of the Liturgy of the Word to the other. In the Book of Isaiah, darkness covers the earth, a description that will come to mind at
the death of Jesus, abandoned on the Cross; it also echoes the beginning of the Book of
Genesis. For Israel, exile is a kind of
darkness, for they have put their faith in other gods. But Isaiah’s prophecy says they will emerge
from this darkness because God has called them to shine forth: Nations
shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance. Israel will be a beacon of light to the
world, as God infuses God’s people with his light.
And if God is going to fill you with his light – grace – then you have a responsibility
to let that light shine. Paul tells the
Ephesians that they are stewards of God’s
grace, and as such, it is their duty to enlighten those around them about
grace, the experience of Christ present, living in them and they in him. The light that fills them must shine so that
the mystery can unfold before the world, and all will be revealed before the world. All nations are called to unity,
recognizing that God is the God of all: Lord, every nation on earth will adore you,
Psalm 72 reminds us. Our job is to point to God’s marvelous
justice, revealing it so that all might come to Christ.
Like the magi from the
East in Matthew's Gospel, we are participants in a revelation:
that the Gospel is for all,
God’s love is for all. Having seen the
Christ living among us, we are called to be that light shining for all in the
darkness of non-belief, a guide to faith for those who have eradicated God
from their lives. Overjoyed at seeing the star, we too are called to recognize that God
is active in our midst. It is through those of us who have faith that
God will shine; we are his ministers, bringing the grace God has placed in us
to others, doing homage to the Christ
child as we tell the world of the revelation of our Savior, God-with-us,
Emmanuel.
This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
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