In today’s Gospel from St. Matthew, Jesus tells his disciples, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountaintop cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house.”
There is a challenge in this, a tension that can sometimes be tricky to negotiate. We are each given many gifts by God and those gifts are meant to be used, not hidden. We are meant to shine our light before others, not hide it under a bushel basket.
However, as Jesus instructs his disiples, our “light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” The gifts we are given are not meant for our own glory and honor, but rather for the the glory of God. We need to be sure that when we shine our light, its focus is not on us. That what people see when they see us and when they see what we do is God, that what we bring people to is not praise of us, but praise of God.
Let us always remember the source of our light.
Creo en Dios! 