Week of February 5, 2017

Week of February 5, 2017

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Dear Parishioners, In today’s Gospel, Our Lord calls His followers the “light of the world”. He calls them the light because God’s light shines through the Church. People should be able to look at Christians and see the love and generosity we all learn from Christ.

Pope Francis explains it well when he says:

“Religious man is a wayfarer; he must be ready to let himself be led, to come out of himself and to find the God of perpetual surprises. This respect on God’s part for our human eyes shows us that when we draw near to God, our human lights are not dissolved in the immensity of His light, as a star is engulfed by the dawn, but shine all the more brightly the closer they approach the primordial fire, like a mirror which reflects light. Christian faith in Jesus, the one Saviour of the world, proclaims that all God’s light is concentrated in Him, in His ‘luminous life’ which discloses the origin and the end of history… There is no human experience, no journey of man to God, which cannot be taken up, illumined and purified by this light. The more Christians immerse themselves in the circle of Christ’s light, the more capable they become of understanding and accompanying the path of every man and woman towards God.” (Lumen Fidei 35)

By following our Lord, we can be people of the light. There are so many opportunities in this life to show charity and to grow in holiness. But, we need to be people who are with God in order to do this. We become holy not just through our own efforts, but by the grace of God. So, we need to be people of prayer. We need to listen to God before doing anything else.

Even if we do not think we are doing much, we always have to remember that all Catholics represent the faith to others, especially those who are far from church. For some people you might be the closest person they have to knowing Christ. So, may you be a light to them, to lead them to Him.

God bless,

Fr. Carter