Be His Light
It is too little, the Lord says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth. (Is 49:6)
Today is the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Yet, as mentioned several times before, Ordinary Time is anything but that. We often think of “ordinary” as “regular”, “same old, same old”. In the Church, ordinary comes from the word “ordinal”, to put a number to something. In Ordinary Time, we begin to count the days and weeks until the “next events” such as Lent, Easter, Christ the King, Advent, and Christmas.
While we mark time, we are challenged to remember that we are supposed to be a certain kind of person, specifically, a light to the nations.
Last Sunday we considered that theme when we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany. The Magi followed the light of the star to the place where Jesus was. After finding Him and worshiping Him, they returned home to their lives, presumably so that they could tell the story of their trek and what they found at the end of it.
That is the same with us. We are not supposed to stay rooted in one place. We are supposed to tell the story of the Lord’s involvement in our lives. We are to celebrate the times that He was there, often literally, to save us. We are to declare the times that God has led us through tough times. In short, we are to be lights to others so that they could come to know the glory of God as well.
It is phenomenal to think that there are parts of our world that have still not heard about God and His love for His people. Yet, it is true. Just recently, the news spoke about a people that had been found who were living totally cut off from the world and had no idea of any real history.
There are people in remote lands who have not heard of God. There are also people quite close, perhaps next door neighbors, perhaps family members, who need to be reminded that there is a God who loves them dearly and who has a plan for them.
They may never know that or hear that unless you become God’s light in order to lead them to Him.
FAITH ACTION: Think about the people you know and/or encounter each day. Are there some who would benefit from hearing about the Lord. Share your knowledge and love of God with them.