Be The Light

26 Jan

“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.”  ~ Francis of Assisi

I think it is safe to say that all of us, at one time or another in our lives, have experienced a sense of hopelessness.  We may have thought that we would never get a chance to do something.  We may have felt isolated and alone.  We may have felt that no one would ever be able to understand us or to love us.

And then.

Then a person came into our lives and turned everything around.  It may have been as simple as someone smiling at us.  Maybe they gave us a word of encouragement.  Maybe they shared with us something that made us feel that we were not alone, not the only one going through a troubling time.  Maybe they befriended us.

Whatever it was, they gave us hope.

That is the “light of a single candle.”  The world can be a dark, dangerous, hideous place.  Yet, all the darkness of the world cannot possibly contain or extinguish the light of a single candle.  That is one of the reasons candles are used in our liturgies.  They remind us of the Light of Christ.  Christ’s light came into our world in such a way as to dispel the darkness of sin and death.  We celebrate that great victory every day.  In a most special way, we celebrate that at the Vigil Mass of Easter when we bless the Paschal Candle and process it through the church singing, “Christ, our Light!” and joyfully responding, “Thanks be to God!”

Christ is the light.  However, He is not the only light.  He has commissioned us to be His light in our world by allowing ourselves to burn with the flame of the Holy Spirit.  As much as we abhor being in the dark and can appreciate when someone has carried the light to us, we are called to be light for others.

Be the light.  Give someone hope.  Take away someone’s reason to despair.  Let them know that God is real and that your love for them is just as real.

FAITH ACTION:  By your words and deeds, try to instill a sense of hope into someone this day.