Light Bearers of Jesus

Have you noticed since the Winter Solstice that daylight is gradually increasing day by day? For many who suffer from light deprivation, this increase in daylight is a great relief from the long dark nights prior to Christmas. This natural increase in daylight has been reflected in the readings over the past several weeks, too. 

The recurring message that as disciples of Jesus, we are to be his light bearers continues to be hammered home. In this week’s Gospel, Jesus adds a new wrinkle to this. He tells us that it is through our deeds that God’s light shines brighter and further for all the world to see. In loving God with all our heart, mind, strength and soul, we must show that love in the way we serve the presence of God in others. We do this, as Isaiah tells us, by sharing our food with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and homeless, clothing the naked, and removing from within us oppression, false accusation and malicious speech.

Talk is cheap, Jesus tells us; his followers must be people of action. Faith can move mountains, however, we don’t have to use earth movers to put our faith into action. Simply taking action by sending a small note of encouragement to someone who is having a tough time, making some cookies and bringing them to someone who is homebound and isolated, or visiting with someone over coffee can go a long way to bring Christ’s light to others. Volunteering time at the Peace Center, Dorothy Day, Loaves and Fishes, Mala Strana, the Lutheran Home and other places enables us to act as light bearers of Christ, and encounter the presence of Christ in others along the way.