Monday - 25th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel – Luke 8:16-18

Under the Covers

Church of Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem

 No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed!

Well, of course, that’s true!  Hide the light under a basket?  Under the bed?  No one in their right mind would do something like that.  That would be silly. 

And yet!!!!  I bet every single one of us did exactly that sometime when we were kids!

We would sit in bed reading.  And it’s a great book; you can’t put it down!  And then it happens!  We hear Mom yell - Ok, bedtime!  Lights out!  Go to sleep!  Oh no!!  I’m right in the middle of something exciting!  I can’t just close the book!  What to do???   So we grabbed a flashlight and ducked under the covers!  And in our tent-like, light-filled bed, we continued our reading adventure!  These days we are probably reading an ebook on our IPad instead of using the old flashlight.  But the situation is the same. The point is – the light of the flashlight, or IPad, is meant only for us and no one else. 

Jesus speaks of light and darkness in today’s Gospel and He challenges all of us to live in the light, to be the light, not just for ourselves but for others!  Unlike that flashlight, it is a light meant not only for us but for the world!  We are called to share that light with others!  Now that is a real challenge! 

Let that be our challenge today, our guiding light!  Cast the light of our faith and not hide it under a basket. Our faith is a light that must stay lit no matter what! We are not called to be part-time Christians!  Throughout our life, may our faith light the way!

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