Word to the Wise
Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - Tuesday in the Tenth Week of Ordinary Time
[1 Kings 17:7-16 and Matthew 5:13-16]You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain 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. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.
One of the great symbols of American civil freedom and values is the Statue of Liberty! The poem by Emma Lazarus on its base has the words, "I lift my lamp beside the golden door." For generations of immigrants the sight of that statue was a symbol of hope! It can still be a symbol of hope but the cruel fact is that the lamp only burns for a select number now. When Jesus challenges the believer to be a "light of the world" he makes the commitment a personal one instead of an institutional one. It is no longer Jerusalem or the Torah that is the light of the world, but the individual believer who shares the message to the whole world! I really wonder if we as a nation have forgotten that value. We cite problems of school systems, welfare, health, etc.etc. Yet we are spending billions on a futile war in the Middle East. Why not help people to live instead of killing them? Is this what the Statue of Liberty stands for - death instead of life? Why not bring light of freedom instead of the darkness of violence? On the national and local level, personal commitment to sharing the light (not necessarily our political system) of freedom as a reflection of gospel values can change our culture from one of selfish individualism and consumer mania to the commitment envisioned by Jesus' words. If we put our light under a bushel basket and restrict the number of people who can see it, we are bringing darkness with us to our faith and worship. AMEN
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