Come to Light

January 26, 2012

Memorial of Saint Timothy and Saint Titus, bishops

For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God. 2 Timothy 1:7-8

Jesus said to his disciples, "Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light. Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear." Mark 4:21-23

Piety

Father, help us to set right what remains to be done in the world around us. Touch us so that we have the fortitude to go out into the world and sing your new song. May the Holy Spirit embrace our hearts for the mission ahead. Amen.

Study

Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear. Sounds simple enough.

On a purely theological and ideal level, we all know what Jesus and the Gospels command. We read it every time we open the Bible and hear it at every Mass we celebrate in community. We memorized the ten commandments in elementary school. Some reading this can even still recite back the responses to the questions in the "Baltimore Catechism."

Ours is a faith tradition that demands we spend time with our head -- understanding what is asked of each of us. Ours is a faith tradition that also demands we spend quiet time in prayer opening our hearts and our souls to the message the Lord has for us today. For unless I listen carefully with the "ear of my heart," I may miss the specific message He has for me -- a message that is different from that of everyone else reading this today.

However, the rub of this journey is that ours is a faith tradition that then questions how we put these lessons into practice in our lives. That is why a two-legged stool will not stand.

Action

What we hear has to be turned into action. What we see -- especially the problems in our neighborhood, our nation and our world -- must be our call to "arms and legs." we must put OUR arms and legs into the work to make right the problems in the world around us. Take special note of what you see and hear today in "light" of this Gospel. Those scenes were made visible for a reason. Those words were vocalized for a reason. What light will they turn on in your mind? What step will they ask you to take?