“Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works.”
—Matthew 5 : 16

A Chinese proverb states, “it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” How true! There can be so much darkness in our world, so much sin and evil, they tend to turn off the light. Jesus came into this world to turn on the light, to rescue us from darkness. He is the light of the world (John 8:12). We are called to be bearers of His light, to let it shine through the goodness of what we do (Matthew 5:16).

Being in the limelight is not easy. Our blemishes show, our mistakes are often too obvious. It is only natural now and then that we may tend to prefer the shadows, to leave the light to someone else. But, the call of Christ is not a call to timidity. It is a summons to let your light shine. You can reject this light, but you cannot ignore it. You are a follower of Christ, and you must not bury the light of the gospel in lives of mediocrity. How often does the light of the gospel become dim through compromise with the world in which we live? It takes courage to keep this light burning brightly by loving one another the way Jesus loves us. It is not enough to say you believe in Christ if you do not show it by the works you do.

The prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 58:7–10) describes the effects of God’s light in our lives. He sings of a time when openhearted generosity calls down the glory of the Lord, when bread is shared “with the hungry,” when shelter is offered to the “oppressed” and the “homeless,” and when people do not turn their backs on the needy. When this happens, He tells us, “your light shall break forth like the dawn.” Yes, indeed. The light of Christ is like a new dawn which keeps appearing, time after time, in the lives of faithful Christians.

We do not have to be particularly clever or eloquent to receive this light. It comes from God as free as a natural shaft of light. It adds no weight or burden to our lives, but it enhances everything we do. We need to get the hang of this new way of living in the light. We need to fine-tune our souls, our inner senses, so we can walk in the light, and celebrate it by what we do.

The light that comes to us from Jesus is not just for us alone. It is a light for others to see by. Our actions are to glorify God so that people can see goodness in our actions. “Your light must shine before men so that they may see your good works and give praise to your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16).

Jesus introduced this light into our world so we might continue to spread it wherever we are. This light was spread by St. Paul to the gentiles, by Dr. Martin Luther King to African-Americans, by Sr. Ruth, a physician-nun from Dresden, Germany, who eradicated leprosy in Pakistan, and, of course, by everyday people, like you, in your own neighborhood.

The Lord is your light and salvation, whom should you fear? Permit this light to shine before others so they may see your good works and give glory to your heavenly Father.

—Fr. Hugh Duffy