12th Sunday Ordinary Time - Fr. Leo
We often speak of the symbolism of light and darkness to describe the struggle to overcome sin with the light of God’s love. This theme is ancient. It is found in all spiritual traditions and is a constant theme in the Old and New Testaments. Today, we proclaim Christ as the light who dispels darkness. What we need to remember is that this concept is a reality in which we live in every moment. We exist because of the energy of God’s love that created us and sustains us in every breath and heartbeat we have. Truly, in Him we live, and move and have our being!
Christ became incarnate to share our humanity that we may share in his divinity. The Holy Spirit is the energy through which this happens. In sharing Christ’s divinity, we are also called to share in his mission of redemption. All things are to shine with the light of Christ and it is through us that this light is to be transmitted.
Our first step in our call is to seek the fullness of God’s light in our interior journey. We contemplate in silence and celebrate the Eucharist in order to renew our life in Christ who forgives our sins and fills us with his light. It is humility that allows this light to enter our hearts, not perfection. Firmly rooted in Christ’s love we welcome the opportunity to be channels of light amid the darkness. This means that we will experience the cross of Christ in our own lives. The effect of darkness in us, and the world, will be the battle ground to choose light over darkness; to choose truth over sin. This is made clear in today’s gospel. We are to shout the truth from the house tops not worrying who might try to block our light or attempt to take us down.
At the end of the day, the only victory that matters is not the accumulation of power and wealth and esteem, but the giving of our lives for truth. For only in this kind of death will we come to know the fullness of God’s light here and in its fullness in the life to come. This kind of living may seem heroic, but it isn’t. It is simply living-out God’s love within us that has no fear. It is evidence that we are coming to share in God’s divinity through his coming to share our humanity.
Come, Holy Spirit and enkindle in us the fire of your love!