Daily Reflection – 9/25/2023
Sacred Scripture
“No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that shall not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light. Take heed then how you hear; for to him who has will more be given, and from him who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.” (Luke 8:16-18)
Reflection
We are reminded in today’s scripture that God’s grace not only illumines the darkness in our lives, it also fills us with spiritual light, joy, and peace. Jesus used the image of a lamp to describe how his disciples are to live in the light of his truth and love. Just as natural light illumines the darkness and enables one to see visually, so the light of Christ shines in the hearts of believers and enables us to see the heavenly reality of God’s kingdom.
In fact, our mission is to be light-bearers of Christ so that others may see the truth of the Gospel – the good news of Jesus Christ – and be freed from the blindness of sin, ignorance, and deception.
Often, phrases like “light-bearers” seem strange or a phrase that should be used for others. That brings us to the need to listen more intently to God. When we listen with our ears and heart, we begin to see how Jesus sees us, how Jesus needs us, how we are in fact, already, a bearer of his message.
If we listen for his voice, we begin to understand that God wants us to know that our lives will unfold not as we dream them but as God dreams them. Scripture calls us to trust, to open our hearts and allow Christ to make his dream for us a reality.
All of us can think of things in our lives we had thought would be different, things in our family, things in our business, things in our relationships. There were successes we never achieved and dangers that we did not avoid. But all those expectations are secondary. What is primary is that Christ has called us, and we are to follow him.
We might be people who have been deeply hurt, because of the betrayal of a friend or the rejection of someone we love. The wound of that hurt still festers in our heart, coloring our life with hatred and anger. We long to be free from such emotions that pull us down, but we do not know where to begin.
When God sees us, God sees within us a treasure of forgiveness, a compassion that allows us to ease up, a strength that allows us to let go of what has been done to us, so that we can be free again. We might have no idea that such potential is within us, but God knows that it is there, buried deep within.
We could be a person who struggles to admit our own self-worth. A terrible disaster or the ridicule of others has somehow convinced us that we are second rate at best. But when God sees us, God sees within us the treasure of our own uniqueness, a particular way of contributing to the world for which we need no apology, a giftedness that is particularly our own. Although we might not be able to see it or own it, God knows that it is within us, as our treasure.
Now, the good news of Jesus’ parable is that the man who buys the field does so with joy, because he is confident that he can dig up the treasure and use it. The parable is telling us that God looks at us with joy. God is joyful because God is confident that with time, and grace, and more experience, the treasures buried within us can also be unearthed. What is hidden can be seen. Our potential for openness, forgiveness, and self-worth can become a reality, visible to ourselves and others, all contributing to the Kingdom of God.
We all know that we have a responsibility to worship God. Jesus asks us to listen: to listen to a fellow parishioner who greets us or shares a problem with us, to listen to the music that moves us, to listen to the Word of God as it addresses us.
Because if we listen, we will hear the voice of Christ, and that will remind us to whom we belong. That will give us peace.
Prayer of The Day
“Lord Jesus, you guide me by the light of your saving truth. Fill my heart and mind with your light and truth and free me from the blindness of sin and deception that I may see your ways clearly and understand your will for my life. May I radiate your light and truth in word and deed to those around me.”
Daily Note
There is great freedom and joy for those who live in God’s light and who seek his truth. Those who listen to God and heed his voice will receive more from him – abundance of wisdom, guidance, peace, and blessing. Do you know the joy and freedom of living in God’s light?
