Devotion for today: light up the world

This week we will take a look at the inspiring work of the Apostles and disciples to bring the word of Christ to all nations.

Scripture for meditation: Acts 16:9-10

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing, beseeching him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us. And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Scripture for reflection: Matthew 5:13-16

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Blessed John Paul II tells us: All Christians incorporated into Christ and his Church by Baptism are consecrated to God. They are called to profess the faith which they have received. By the sacrament of Confirmation, they are further endowed by the Holy Spirit with special strength to be witnesses to Christ and sharers in the mission of salvation. Every lay Christian is therefore an extraordinary work of God’s grace and is called to the heights of holiness. Sometimes, lay men and women do not seem to appreciate to the full the dignity and the vocation that is theirs as lay people. No, there is no such thing as an ‘ordinary layman’, for all of you have been called to conversion through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As God’s holy people you are called to fulfill your role in the evangelization of the world. Yes, the laity are ‘a chosen race, a holy priesthood’, also called to be ‘the salt of the earth’ and ‘the light of the world’. It is there specific vocation and mission to express the Gospel in their lives and thereby to insert the Gospel as a leaven into the reality of the world in which they live and work (Homily in Limerick, October 1, 1979 as taken from The Navarre Bible Text and Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, Four Courts Press, 1992).

Prayer: Psalm-prayer, Week III, Monday Morning Prayer (Liturgy of the Hours)

 Lord, you have renewed the face of the earth. Your Church throughout the world sings you a new song, announcing your wonders to all. Through a virgin, you have brought forth a new birth in our world: through your miracles, a new power: through your suffering, a new patience: in your resurrection, a new hope, and in your ascension, new majesty.

 My thoughts: To insert the Gospel in their lives… I wonder how many of us can truthfully say that we insert the Gospel in our lives for the purpose of being leaven in the world. It is the leaven which causes the bread to rise, to reach its fullest potential. Do we as Christians put aside our vanities, our desires for recognition and praise, and truly do whatever it is we do for the sole purpose of causing others to rise to their full potential as children of God? Do we face each day as the gift that it is, the opportunity that it is for us to be fully alive and joyful messengers of such Good News? Can people look at us, letting our lights shine brightly for all to see, and say to themselves, “I wish I could be like him. I wish I had the joy she has”? If not, then it is time to start listening to God’s voice in us directing our mission the way He did Paul’s. The tiny suggestion to do an act of kindness, to reach out to someone, to just let it go and let someone else have the spotlight, all come from God. We need to act as Paul did when he heard the voice of God. We need to act…immediately and decisively.

Our prayer to God:  Let us go to daily Mass one day this week, and receive the only food truly necessary to strengthen us for our real mission in life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1kcrsdxBkE&feature=related