WITNESSING TO THE LORD

September 20, Monday

TWENTY-FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

 

      With the proclamation of Cyrus, king of Persia, who freed the exiles, the Jews could return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple, sign of God’s presence, and to become the community of God’s people. Thus they themselves would be a living temple given the task of bearing witness to the God of Israel.

      Christ speaks of the word of God as a light that cannot remain hidden; it should shine in the lives of those who believe in the gospel, so that they can bear witness to Christ and his message.

 

First Reading: Ezra 1:1-6

 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—this fulfilled the Message of God preached by Jeremiah—God prodded Cyrus king of Persia to make an official announcement throughout his kingdom. He wrote it out as follows:

From Cyrus king of Persia, a Proclamation: God, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has also assigned me to build him a Temple of worship in Jerusalem, Judah. Who among you belongs to his people? God be with you! Go to Jerusalem which is in Judah and build The Temple of God, the God of Israel, Jerusalem’s God. Those who stay behind, wherever they happen to live, will support them with silver, gold, tools, and pack animals, along with Freewill-Offerings for The Temple of God in Jerusalem.

The heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone, in fact, God prodded—set out to build The Temple of God in Jerusalem. Their neighbors rallied behind them enthusiastically with silver, gold, tools, pack animals, expensive gifts, and, over and above these, Freewill-Offerings.

 

Gospel: Luke 8:16-18

“No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a washtub or shoves it under the bed. No, you set it up on a lamp stand so those who enter the room can see their way. We’re not keeping secrets; we’re telling them. We’re not hiding things; we’re bringing everything out into the open. So be careful that you don’t become misers of what you hear. Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes.”

 

Prayer

Lord our God,
you want our faith to be
a lamp placed on a lamp-stand,
so that people might see your light
and not stumble in the dark.
Speak your word to us,
give us the life-giving Spirit of your Son,
his Spirit of unity and freedom,
that we may be to the world
the new humanity of Jesus Christ,
who lives with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 

Reflection:

Preserve the light you have received in Baptism

Focusing on the theme of light, Pope Francis explained this passage during one of his homilies in 2016 and said: “If you do not want to be Christians in name only, you have to carry out your daily commitment to “preserve, and not hide” the light that was given to you at baptism. This is a commitment that takes place in “everyday” life, taking care not to give in to certain temptations in which one tends to fall.
Jesus came to bring a message of love and hope, the message of salvation for all people. And it is not a secret message nor is it an exclusive message for a few people. There are many in the Church who still believe that the saving grace of God is meant only for a small group of the chosen ones. Even the apostles of Jesus had nurtured similar thoughts. We will soon reflect on John complaining to Jesus there is someone who does not belong to their group, but casts out demons in the name of Jesus.
Throughout the history of the Church, over many centuries, the Gospel has also been hidden under layers of traditions and customs, of morals and theology. Even the reading of the Bible was restricted for a long time, prohibiting the Christians from accessing the Word of God.
To cherish the light is to safeguard something that we have received as a gift and we are luminous because we have received the gift of light on the day of baptism. In the early centuries of the Church, and in some Eastern Churches even today, baptism is called ‘enlightenment’. Remember, when the sacrament of baptism is administered, the newly baptised is given a lighted candle as a sign: it is the light that is the gift of God.
The baptism is a constant reminder that we are called to be responsible for keeping the light of the Gospel shining in our world and drawing everyone to life and hope. We are responsible for making sure that the lamp is not hidden but that it shines to give the light of Christ to all around.
May the Holy Spirit help us not to fall into these bad habits that cover the light. May He help us to carry forward the light we received freely, that light of God that does so much good – the light of friendship, the light of meekness, the light of faith, the light of hope, the light of patience, the light of goodness.”

 

Video available on Youtube: Preserve the light you have received in Baptism