Third Thursday of Ordinary Time
Saints Timothy and Titus
2 Tim 1: 1-8; Mk 4: 21-25
Deacon Larry Brockman
We are all so fortunate. Especially those here this morning and every Thursday Morning. We are fortunate because we have our faith; we are committed; and we come here to daily Mass because of our commitment. And for many of us, we share the experience that Timothy had. For he received his faith from his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. Yes, most of us were fortunate enough to have been born into our faith and we have been nurtured in it by our families.
Hopefully, we don’t take our faith for granted because it is a very precious gift, indeed. In fact, our faith is the light that Jesus talks about in the Gospel this morning. Because the faith that we have can illuminate others. By our actions we can spread the light; by our inaction, we can leave others in the darkness.
Scripture scholars tell us that the parable of the lamps was probably directed at the Apostles themselves. They had the special gift of access, direct access to Jesus. That gave them special insight into God’s plan for salvation. It gave them special graces in understanding the mysteries hidden from the general population; and by virtue of their ordination and commissioning by Jesus, they had special responsibilities to spread their faith to the whole world. It was not enough for them to believe in Jesus and to rejoice in the salvation he brought them. It was necessary for them to be lamps on a lampstand, shedding their light onto all, sharing their faith in a proactive way.
Jesus even tells his Apostles to “Take care what you hear”; meaning listen up, soak it in, absorb it like a sponge because you cannot spread what you don’t know or understand. And then he tells them that “the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.”
Jesus mandate to his Apostles is challenging. History documents that all of them ran with their faith and acted as lampstands. Their light shone forth; multitudes were converted to the faith by their testimony; and all of them but one, St. John, died a martyr’s death for their faith.
We live in a world of politically correct “toleration”. Society teaches us to “live and let live”. We are not to judge; we are not to criticize; we are not to force our beliefs on anyone else. And so, we need to hear this parable of the lampstand from time to time. We cannot just come to our refuge, this church, and enjoy the benefits of our faith along with our fellow believers and then enter into the world as neutral bystanders. We, by virtue of our Baptisms and Confirmations, share the Apostles responsibility to evangelize in word and deed.
How do we do that? By not hiding our lampstands.
Rather, we need to shine forth into the darkness; by expressing our opinions on faith and morals when we are given a chance. So, rather than politely excusing ourselves when challenged, we need to be prepared to respond with the truth, and with conviction when a Mormon or Jehovah’s Witness comes to your door. And we need to make our positions on key issues known- like the hundreds of thousands of Christians headed for Washington DC this weekend for the March for Life are going to do. When we dine out with our families, we can say grace together as a family in plain sight of everyone else. The way we dress; how we relate on social media; the kind of entertainment we buy and support- all of these are ways for us to shine the light of Christ in the darkness.
Sometimes we will experience pushback from shining the light of Christ. But as St. Paul says to Timothy: “Bear your share of the hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God”. For the spiritual rewards are great. Jesus says it this way: “To the one who has; more will be given.”