A Light For Others

Gospel Reflection 1/26/2023

"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." (Mk 4:22-25)

As Christians, our lives are not just for ourselves; we are born to be a light to others. To be the light of Christ as well as for the Church means we do our best to enlighten and transform souls through faith, hope, and love. "Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand?" (Mk 4:21) We shine our light internally within our prayer life and by praying outwardly with our family and loved ones. Still, as Christians, we need also to be aware that it is our daily interactions with others in the world in which our light must also continue to shine. St. John Christendom reminds us that "we are accountable not only for our own life but also for that of the entire world.

In today's world, however, the battle to be a Catholic presents many challenges, and unfortunately, moral relativism seems to have become the norm in our times. While the secular world pushes sin at every turn, it becomes a daily battle for many of us to live as traditional-minded Catholics. Cardinal Ratzinger addressed many of the topics of relativism over the years, and in his book Without Roots, he writes: 

 "The more relativism becomes the generally accepted way of thinking, the more it tends toward intolerance. Political correctness seeks to establish the domain of a single way of thinking and speaking. Its relativism creates the illusion that it has reached greater heights than the loftiest philosophical achievements of the past."

Let's address the elephant in the room and not just shine a light on the relativism of the secular world but the relativism and ambiguity that has been creeping into the Church for many years. We should also fairly recognize this problem has been going on for a long time. It is not something entirely new, as St. Paul VI wrote back in 1972, "through some fissure the smoke of Satan has entered the temple of God." Perhaps we need to step back and consider a verse in today's Gospel that might shine a light on the words of Christ when He says, "Take care, then, how you hear"(Mk 4:24). While there may be different viewpoints on this passage, one possible explanation of what Christ might be trying to say to us is to pay attention to what HE said. We do not need to pay attention to those pushing the latest woke or so-called progressive agendas, especially if it is outside Christ's teaching. Let's be confident and remember our Lord, who founded the Catholic Church, promised the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Mt 16:18).

As a co-founder at Missio Dei, I can confidently speak for the writers and our platform when I say that our duty is to evangelize the word of God while sending a clear message about the faith. We strive for our daily reflections and articles to help you get closer to Christ, and we always welcome any comments or questions pertaining to the faith as long as they are polite and have good intentions. Let's pray today for those we love and those who are hard to love, as they also need our prayers. We are in a spiritual battle, so we must continue to be the light and love of Christ to those around us. 

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came to be through him, and without him, nothing came to be.  What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (Jn 1: 1-5)