ALL ARE CALLED TO SHINE IN THE WORLD AS A LIGHT.

The readings...

"Your light shall break forth like the dawn." [Is. 58:6-10]

"Faith must rest on, not human wisdom, but by the power of God." [1 Cor. 2:1-5]

"You are the light of the world. Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven." [Mt. 5:13-6]

The homily...

You are the light of the world! What does this Bible verse mean? Is Jesus not the Light of the world rather than us? To understand what the word "light" means, we must review a number of Bible passages.

The First Letter of John tells you, "God is light and in Him there is not darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true. But, if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin."[1 Jn. 1:5-7]

We learn here that God is light and those who walk in the light have fellowship with one another because there is no darkness in them.

In the Gospel of John, we are told that John the Baptist was sent to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. John the Baptist himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. [Jn. 1:6-9]

In another passage of the Gospel of John, we are told, Christ is life and in Him is the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it. [Jn. 1:4-5]

John the Baptist came to testify regarding the light which is Jesus Himself. Those who received Jesus who was the light, "who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God." [Jn. 12-33]

Not all people loved the light, nor wanted to walk in the light. The Gospel of John adds, "For this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God." [Jn. 3:19-21]

The Letter of Paul to the Romans tells you, "You know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light. Let us live honourably as in the day, not in ravelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provisions for the flesh, to gratify its desires." [Rom. 13:11-4]

This message is repeated in the First Letter to the Thessalonians, "You are all children of light and children of the day. You are not of the night or of darkness. So then, do not fall asleep as others do, but keep awake and be sober." [1 Thess. 5:5-6]

Those who believe in Jesus who is the light and have received the Sacrament of Baptism, have become children of God, lights in the world. In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells you that John the Baptist was a burning and shining lamp and many were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. [Jn. 5:35]

Now, knowing that we are children of God, lights in the world, we learn from today's Gospel that the light is not meant to be hidden. A hidden light is like salt that has lost its taste. It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

As children of God, as lights in the world, we are called to shine in the likeness of Christ so others will be impressed by our light. They will want to join our membership in the Catholic Church, the Body of Christ, so they too can become shining lights. That is today's message.

How can we shine as lights? By the grace of the Father, the power of the Holy Spirit and in the Name of Jesus Christ, it is by continuously maintaining pure thoughts, speaking good words and performing holy actions towards others so God can be glorified in all things.

This is done by our loving actions of sharing our bread with the hungry; by supporting Christian missions; by bringing the homeless poor into our house; by adopting a child that nobody wants; by covering the naked; by not disappearing when our help is needed; by standing up for those who are persecuted; by supporting the ministry that feeds us the Word of God; by visiting the sick; by being a friend to a prisoner; by helping a single parent; by volunteering for a worthwhile social organization; doing all these things and many more, not for self-glory, but for the glory of God.

When we do these things for the glory of God, then it can be said that we are a shining light in the world. We will shine before others. They will see our good works and they too will give glory to your Father in Heaven in thanksgiving for having sent us, His children, as instruments of His Divine work.

Now that we all know what it means to be a shining light in the world, I encourage you all to go forward this week and to do whatever the Holy Spirit inspires you to do so you can shine as a light to reflect that you are children of God.

(Weekly Project: Parishioners can be encouraged to go forth to shine as lights in the world by writing briefly what they have done during the week on a 3" x 5" index card that will be posted on a special board on the following Sunday. The brief notes of light may be "Fed the hungry" or "Visited the Sick." Resulting from this, the Pastor can point out the effect of all the lights that shined during the past week in his parish.)

Total: 954 words.

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