3rd Sunday
Is 8:23-9:3; 1 Cor 10-13, 17; Mt 4:12-23
The Light of our Journey
St. Teresa of Calcutta told a beautiful story of a man who was brought out of darkness into the light. One day, in Melbourne, Australia, she visited a poor man whom nobody knew existed. The room in which he lived was terribly unclean. The doors and windows were never opened to let in the light. She began cleaning the room. At first, the man protested, saying, “Leave it alone. It’s all right as it is.” But she continued cleaning anyway.
Under a pile of rubbish, she found a beautiful oil lamp covered with dirt. She cleaned and polished it, then asked him, “How come you never light the lamp?” “Why should I light it?” he replied. “No one ever comes to see me.” “Will you promise to light it if one of my sisters comes to visit you?” she asked. “Yes,” he replied. “If I hear a human voice, I’ll light the lamp.” Two of Mother Teresa’s nuns began to visit him regularly. Gradually, things improved. Then one day he said to the nuns, “Sisters, I’ll be able to manage on my own from now on, but please do me a favor: tell that first sister who came to see me that the light she lit in my life is still burning.”
God is light, and He dispels all darkness. He invites us to live enlightened lives, bringing light into the darkened lives of others. The liturgical readings call us to know and accept Jesus as the light for our journey.
Gift of Light: The Gospel tells us that after the arrest of John the Baptist, Jesus began His ministry in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali in the northern region. In 723 BC, the people of this region were overcome by gloom when the Assyrians invaded and conquered them. Some were deported to Assyria, while others were forced to intermarry with Assyrians brought into the land. The descendants of these intermarriages became the despised Samaritans of Jesus’ day.
The prophet Isaiah saw this misfortune as a deep darkness that had enveloped the entire land. Yet, Isaiah declared that God’s power was greater than the powers of darkness and foretold that this region would one day walk in the light of faith. The day would come when the region would no longer be oppressed but would rejoice in victory and great light.
Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy. He declared, “I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness” (Jn 12:46). The good news of the Kingdom that Jesus preached is the light that overcomes darkness. Through His preaching, teaching, and healing, Jesus brought the light of mercy, healing, forgiveness, faith, enlightenment, and above all, life in the Holy Spirit that conquers death itself.
Jesus revealed that God’s love shines upon all people who live in darkness and are deprived of His mercy and forgiveness. His mission is to dispel darkness of every kind. To spread that light, He chose disciples — and continues to choose them today through baptism. By His death and resurrection, He assures us that darkness can never have the final word. Have we seen the light in the darkness? Have we heard His call?
Hours of Darkness: A young man named Newman — who later became a Cardinal — was once returning by sea from Italy to his native England. While his boat was detained in Sicily, he fell ill and nearly died. During his recovery, he wrote these words: “Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom.” We, too, experience hours of darkness — the death of a lifelong spouse, rejection by a loved one, an unrealized dream, or the loss of good health can all plunge us into temporary darkness. Yet the true believer must live through such moments with the light of Christ.
The early Christians invoked Jesus as the true Sun, for they knew His rays bestowed life. Jesus is the Morning Star who illumines life’s entire journey. Many have walked in His light, found salvation, and become instruments of salvation for others. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” By our righteous deeds, we must introduce Christ’s light into the darkness of prejudice, war, abuse, social injustice, hunger, poverty, ignorance, greed, anger, vengeance, and indifference.
At the Last Supper, Jesus prayed that His people would be united (Jn 17:21). He also said that the mark of His disciples would be their love for one another (Jn 13:34–35). In the second reading, St. Paul reminds the Corinthians that division within the community is a sign of darkness. His exhortation is to focus on Jesus — our true light.
Living in Illusory Light: The light of Christ is not shining brightly in many of our lives. According to Pope Francis in his encyclical The Light of Faith, some consider faith “an illusory light.” In modern times, humanity glorifies reason but looks down upon faith as something belonging to the past — an undeveloped stage of human evolution. Faith, they argue, is insufficient for modern life, irrelevant to society, and an obstacle to higher knowledge.
Humanity has renounced the search for the great Light and instead pursues smaller lights that illuminate only fleeting moments. As a result, the world has lost its path and fallen into chaos. Now, more than ever, there is an urgent need to recognize faith as a true and enduring light. The Pope warns that once the flame of faith dies out, all other lights begin to dim. Let us pray for the grace that the light of faith may become a burning flame — a heavenly star within each of us — growing, enlightening the present, and brightening the horizon of our journey. Faith is an enlightened journey. —————–
