Children of Light (4th Sunday Lent A)

I see trees of green and red roses too; I see them bloom for me and for you;
And I think to myself, “What a wonderful world!”

I see skies of blue and clouds of white; Bright blessed days, dark sacred nights;
And I think to myself, “What a wonderful world!”

Louis Armstrong’s distinctive gravelly voice caught my attention and led me, for the first time, into an appreciation of this beautiful song. Much later, with Michael Buble’s contemporary rendition, I fell in love again with this song a second time. And again, a third time, when I heard a local artist in Zamboanga City, sang this with his dark shades on in a restobar. What’s amazing in his performance was not that he had a superior quality of voice compared to the two great singers who popularized the song. No. What’s incredible was the fact that he was a blind man. When he joined us at table after his performance, he allowed me to witness a great irony in life. Here was a blind man who, I presumed to be living in the dark, but surprisingly, had a way of seeing and celebrating the beauty and wonders of life; he could honestly proclaim at the top of his lungs, "What a wonderful world!" Whereas I had been with many people with perfect eyesight but, alas, stuck in the unfortunate dark side of life, grumbling, unable to celebrate with joy the gift of light and life.

(grabbed from http://junialeigh.wordpress.com)

A similar irony is depicted by today’s gospel reading (Jn 9:1-41). A blind man since birth is healed by Jesus. Not only is he enabled to see, he also grows in his faith. He begins to know Jesus Christ and accepts him as the Son of Man. In this gospel incident, the blind, who has been in darkness and believed to be under the curse of sin, embraces the light of Christ and is freed by Christ’s saving grace and becomes a believer. Ironically, the Pharisees who are known for their strict observance of the Law of Moses and who pride in their holiness turn out to be the ones suffering from serious form of blindness as they refuse to see God’s saving grace at work in Jesus. They refuse to embrace the light of Christ. They persist in condemning the blind man to his state of sinfulness. They are incapable of celebrating the joy of liberation from sin and darkness. They refuse to believe in Jesus as the savior.

The healing of the blind man proclaims that Jesus is the light of the world.  He frees those who accept his grace from the darkness of sin. The blind man’s washing in the Pool of Siloam hints at the cleansing ritual of baptism where we embrace our faith in Jesus and accepts him as our savior. Like the blind man, we used to be people of darkness but through the light of Christ received in baptism we become children of the light.

St. Paul, in the second reading (Eph 5:8-14), admonishes the Christian community in Ephesus to live as children of light: “Brothers and sisters, you were once darkness, but, now, you are light, in the Lord. Behave as children of light.” The Ephesians lived once without faith but through baptism have been enlightened. They must now live according to their new life in the light. The admonition to behave as children of light is an invitation towards two things: To do only what is good and to expose the works of darkness as here explained by St. Paul: “You, yourselves, search out what pleases the Lord, and take no part in works of darkness, that are of no benefit; expose them instead.”

Like the blind man and the early Christian community in Ephesus, we too have become children of the light in Christ. The season of Lent is our invitation to behave as children of the light. This may imply a lot of things but allow me to suggest three things in the light of our readings:

Exposing what remains in the dark. Behaving as children of light means exposing whatever is done in the dark as St. Paul reminds us. This season, we can expose to the light of Christ the remaining darkness in our lives. We can allow the light of the Lord to shine in us as it dispels the darkness of our sins. In our examination of conscience let us invite Jesus to enlighten us and lead us towards sincere act of contrition. In the Sacrament of Penance and reconciliation, we can bravely expose our sins by confession and allow God’s mercy to embrace us.

Celebrating the triumph of grace. Behaving as children of light also invites us to celebrate with joy the truth of God’s saving grace working in our lives. Rather than grumbling over the imperfections within us and around us, let us, with the eyes of faith, see the triumph of the light of God’s grace over the darkness of sin. Let us think to ourselves, “What a wonderful world!” for this world is truly blessed by God. Let us acknowledge God’s blessings. Let us be grateful for our blessings and be joyful when others are blessed too by God’s grace.

Becoming the light of the world. Finally, behaving as children of light is becoming the light of Christ to others by our good works. Our goodness is the light of Christ shining in us. St. Paul reminds us that “the fruits of light are kindness, justice and truth, in every form.” We can be a light to others, especially to those suffering from different forms of misery, when we reach out to them with kindness, when we commit ourselves for the cause of justice, when we relate to others with sincerity and work with honesty.

As we continue with our Lenten journey towards Easter, we strengthen our conviction that we are no longer a people of darkness. We have Jesus who has given us his light and liberated us from our disoriented groping in the dark alleys of sin. Let us behave, then, as children of light.

Making a Difference (5th Sunday Ordinary A)

The American poet, essayist, and transcendentalist philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson believed that making a difference in life is the essential point of living. “The purpose of life,” according to him, “is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” 

(Photo grabbed from www.actioncoach.com)

As followers of Christ too, making a difference for the world is our essential calling. It is our life-mission. Jesus, in today’s gospel reading (Mt 5: 13-16), explains to his followers what he expects of them.  By way of images, He instructs them about their life-mission: “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world” (v. 13-14). Let us reflect on each of these images—salt and light—and draw the implications each has on our Christian life.

“You are the salt of the earth.” Salt had two important uses in the ancient world: it gave flavor to food, and it also preserved food. They didn’t have “magic sarap” then or any other ready-made seasoning. They didn't have refrigerators either, so they would preserve meat by putting a thin layer of salt over it. So by implication, we understand that “to be the salt of the earth” means two things for us: First, just as salt gives flavor to food, so are we to bring “flavor” or meaning or to point out what brings lasting joy to the lives of people around us.  Second, just as salt preserves food from decay, so Christ’s followers are called to preserve the society from corruption and moral decadence.

Wherever we are, our presence has to make a difference.  We cannot afford to be Christ’s followers and, at the same time, be just among the others living la vida loca, the kind of life this world dictates.  If this absorption into the worldly value system happens, our Christian life becomes a tasteless salt.  Jesus’ warning is loud and clear regarding this possible sad state: “But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot” (Mt 5:13).  Ouch!  A Christian life that does not bring any difference into the world is useless so to speak.

More often than not, the calling to be the salt of the earth demands a Christian living that is counter-cultural.  Serious Christians cannot live by the old political adage that says, “If you can’t lick ‘em, join ‘em. “ Christians do not live by what is popular; their lives instead testify to what truly brings joy and moral uprightness which the world oftentimes ignores.  Christians, as salt of the earth, live with joy in simplicity and deep spiritual relationship with others and God amid the dominant materialistic trends. Christians testify by their lives that there is true joy in purity of mind and heart, in self-respect, in fidelity to a committed loving relationship, and in family life despite the pervasive pleasure-seeking sexual revolution that has raised generations who are afraid of responsibility and commitment. Christians uphold the sacred value of life and the dignity of every person against the world’s culture of death that discards as liabilities the poor, the defenseless fetus, the unproductive sick and aged.

Be the salt of the earth: Make a difference in the world by the way you live—as witness to the values of Christ.

“You are the light of the world.”  Light had the same function then as it does now:  to push back the darkness. But in the ancient world, before the advent of electricity, darkness was a much more dramatic reality than it is to us. The ancients, unlike us today, understood how helpless they were without a lamp.  Hence, it was unthinkable to light a lamp and hide it under a bushel basket.  A lamp had to be set on a stand to give light to all.

Darkness has always been equated with sin and the absence of God. It is light that dispels darkness; light represents the saving grace and presence of God.  To be the light of the world means that the disciples are to manifest by their good works the saving grace and presence of God in the world. “Your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (Mt 5: 16). Our good works manifest to the world the compassionate and loving God who is within us.  In our good deeds, God is glorified.

The first reading (Is 58:7-10) recounts how Isaiah reminded the people of Israel who just resettled from exile to give primacy to works of charity over the empty religious rituals of fasting.  Isaiah counseled them to share food to the hungry, shelter to the homeless, clothes to the naked, and assistance to those in need.  Today, Christians are called to commit to the works of justice, charity, peace, and the integrity of creation.  Again, we cannot afford to hide in the sacristy or in the air-conditioned adoration chapel. While prayer and contemplation is essential to our Christian life, it ought to lead us all the more to the loving service of the needy.  Otherwise, we might end up like a burning lamp hidden under a bushel basket.

Be the light of the world: Make a difference in this world darkened by sin. Let your good deeds proclaim the goodness of God. “Then your light shall break forth like the dawn” (Is. 58: 8).