The Gospel according to Luke (Lk 8:16-18)
Jesus said to the crowd:
“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel
or sets it under a bed;
rather, he places it on a lampstand
so that those who enter may see the light.
For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible,
and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.
Take care, then, how you hear.
To anyone who has, more will be given,
and from the one who has not,
even what he seems to have will be taken away.”
Reflection: We all remember that creepy movie back in 1982 called “Poltergeist”. Well at least us older peeps do. Remember that scene when Carol Anne was stuck in the walls of the house and mommy told her to “Come to the light”? So, I looked up the producer’s interpretation of what that meant in the movie and it said; “Some people believe that when you die there is a wonderful light. As bright as the sun but it doesn’t hurt to look into it. All the answers to all the questions you want to know are inside that light. And when you walk to it… you become a part of it forever.”
Think about this from a practical point of view. When we enter a dark room, what is the first thing that we look for? The light switch or something that will give us a light. “Coming to the light” is a statement that is so true when it comes to our Catholic Christian beliefs. When we are spiritually living in some form of darkness and after our grieving, we look for some form of help and hope.
Earlier I mentioned the producer’s interpretation. It said that when we die there is a wonderful light. Well, there was a time when the old Ray died and gave his life to Christ and others. This reminds me of the following scripture passages from Galatians 2:20; “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” So, there is hope for me and for all of us.
Hope creates many possibilities in our world. It even creates love and a lot of it. Think about it, when we have hope and love there is no darkness in your life. Even if you did, love and hope will conquer everything. Here is the best part. We all have the ability to share it, we can all believe in it, because it’s built into our divine DNA. We can hope together, love together, live together and cry together and that’s why hope liberates us. It opens our eyes to see love that surrounds us. It unites us and breaks our isolation. When we receive the grace of hope then we are called to share it with others without hesitation. When we decide to embrace hope and live in the presence of love then we can “gift” this to someone and still have plenty more to share. At that moment, we are living in the “Presence of Christ”. You are that hope (the light) in the darkness that can brighten up someone’s day or even livelihood.
Using the words from the movie producers, “All the answers to all the questions you want to know are inside that light. And when you walk to it… you become a part of it forever.”
Action of the Day: While you’re driving, shut off your radio and think about this. What is your interpretation of coming to the light? What does Hope mean to you?
Audio Reflection:
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