We are the light of the world.
He who does not denounce, agrees. He who does not forbid, commands. He who is silent, conceals.
– Colman mac Beognai, Aipgitir Chrabaid (Irish, 7th century)
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”
– Matthew 5.14, 15
Nothing about the Christian faith is intended for merely private use. The faith that Jesus proclaimed, and to which we have been born again, is a very public faith. And we are tasked with the responsibility of making it so.
Daily opportunities arise in which we can point someone to the truth that is in Jesus. Are we ready, as Peter commands, to do so (1 Pet. 3.15)? Are we praying even now for the people we will meet today? For the words we might share in order to pique their interest in spiritual things?
If we do not speak up about our faith we confirm the view of our lost friends that Christianity is irrelevant. If we do not live the faith of Jesus, doing all things for the glory of God, then we confirm their view who insist that religion doesn’t make any difference.
If the light of Christ is shining in us, it will come through in our words and deeds. Each day let us labor to rekindle and renew that holy spiritual light, so that everything about us may shine with a heavenly radiance, and all our words may point beyond us to the love of God.
We are the light of the world. Pray for yourself, and for all believers, that we may not conceal our light under the bushel of fear or indifference, but may shine it brightly, warmly, and with the love of Christ into all the dark recesses of the lost souls in our lives.
Today, let your light shine.
T. M. Moore, tmmoore@ailbe.org
