Jesus said to his disciples: “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed…? …The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you. To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
We are to give what is expected of us and not hide what has been given to us.
We are to give what is expected of us. Too many Christians voluntarily place their light underneath a bushel basket, for they consider themselves “unworthy” to share the light with others. But whose light is it? Is it theirs or is it Christ’s? Is it Christ who wishes that share His light with others or is it you who wish to share your light with others? This might be a tough question considering the immense popularity of Facebook and Instagram.
If we understand that our light is simply Christ’s light, then why do we hide it? Why do play into our pride, and allow others to play with it as well? “Look at yourself! How can you call yourself a Christian?” Easily, by the Sacraments!
Have we forgotten that the Church exists for sinners? This fact baffles the small minds of those who secretly hate us and would love to label us to blow out our light. Well, we should know better. And we should not let anyone tickle and awaken our pride, for from our sense of unworthiness comes our sense of sacredness.
If I can’t be a good Catholic then at least I can be a bad one, and even a bad Catholic has received grace upon grace, a great deal more than any non-believer.
Being unworthy is not a club but a clue. It is a hint towards understanding the compassion of mercy of Jesus Christ. In examining the lives of the Saints, one does not find great talent but great humility.
Far too many Christians are trapped in a thick mixture of sin and pride. And it is silencing their voices and choking their lives. They could easily break free from it with grace and humility.
Do not hide what has been given to you. What do we all carry with us? Experiences: good and bad. And these experiences should not to be hidden but revealed.
It takes a lot of courage for women to march with signs revealing their souls and saying, “I regret my abortion.” What has been revealed? Overwhelming Sin and amazing grace! The revelation has been made known and complete. A conversion has taken place. Humility has overpowered pride. The old has been replaced with the new. The Lord’s light has been removed from underneath a bed.
How can you call yourself a Catholic? Easily, by the Sacraments. When Douglas Hyde (1911-1996), one of the leading communists from England, converted to Catholicism, he sent shock waves throughout the communist world. After he confessed his sins and the trail of misery he had left in his path, he asked Father Devas if such a man could become a Catholic. Father Devas replied that the Church existed for sinners, a reply that astounded and confounded Hyde because redemption had found no place in his communist vocabulary. He writes, “With a twinkle in his eye, Fr. Devas told me that if one could not be a good Catholic one could at least be a bad one; that even the bad Catholic had a great deal the communist had not got” (Joseph Pearce, Literary Converts, pg. 248).
What a lesson!
We have no excuse to hide Christ’s light from others.
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