Let Your Light Shine!

by Sr Rene Weeks ~ January 31, 2008

Mark 4:21-25

Jesus said to his disciples,
“Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket
or under a bed,
and not to be placed on a lampstand?
For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible;
nothing is secret except to come to light.
Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.”
He also told them, “Take care what you hear.
The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you,
and still more will be given to you.
To the one who has, more will be given;
from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

Folks living today encounter a problem unknown in Jesus’ day or even a few decades ago--light pollution. In some of the world’s cities the night lights are so bright that they disrupt the natural rhythms of plants, animals, and humans. Some cities have enacted laws regulating the amount of light that can be emitted. It seems that after humans learned how to create effective ways of illumination, the next thing we did was go overboard in their use!

I believe Jesus had a different “light intensity” in mind when he cautioned us not to put our light under a basket or under the bed. The lights Jesus knew came from very small earthen lamps, filled with oil and furnished with a wick. Just enough to push the darkness back!!

So Jesus isn’t asking us to be search lights.

A small flame on our part is enough to illuminate great secrets.

And what are the secrets spoken of in the Gospel?

At one time I thought this line was talking about all the bad things I did and didn’t want anyone to know. (Maybe a teacher in grade school told me that; I really don’t remember where I got the idea.)

But Jesus isn’t talking about my secrets!

He’s talking about the secrets of God.

Jesus wants God, his Abba/Amma,

to be known and revered and loved.

And I find it altogether amazing that Jesus,

who is himself Light from Light,

wants and needs our light to illumine the darkness.

 

We are called to be like the lamplighter of old,

walking through the darkened streets with only a small flame,

always facing into the darkness,

and leaving a pathway of light behind.

So let your light shine!