Overview:

Monday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

A Reflection for Monday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.

Find today’s readings here.

One of my favorite moments at the Easter Vigil is when, after re-entering the church following the bonfire, the members of the congregation light their candles. The flame moves from the Paschal candle to the altar servers to the people in the pews. Candles are tilted and the light is passed among the faithful, slowly increasing the soft glow in the church until it seems the whole place could be set ablaze.

Today’s Gospel brings to mind this moment—one of light and hope, and one worth remembering in our troubled times. Here Jesus reminds us that those who hear God’s word have a responsibility to share it by becoming that light to others. But too often these days, many of us are doing the opposite, using the name of God to blame or belittle others with whom they disagree. It is easy to feel burned rather than enlightened. 

The Word of God is not a weapon; it is an invitation, asking us to move closer to God and one another. And sharing it authentically requires risk, a certain closeness and a vulnerability. Like at the Easter Vigil, sharing the light of Christ requires us to lean in, to be gentle with one another. There is danger in that proximity, but there is also a warmth and a comfort: Together, each of us sharing the light, we banish the darkness. 

Kerry Weber joined the staff of America in October 2009. Her writing and multimedia work have since earned several awards from the Catholic Press Association, and in 2013 she reported from Rwanda as a recipient of Catholic Relief Services' Egan Journalism Fellowship. Kerry is the author of Mercy in the City: How to Feed the Hungry, Give Drink to the Thirsty, Visit the Imprisoned, and Keep Your Day Job (Loyola Press) and Keeping the Faith: Prayers for College Students (Twenty-Third Publications). A graduate of Providence College and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, she has previously worked as an editor for Catholic Digest, a local reporter, a diocesan television producer, and as a special-education teacher on the Navajo reservation in Arizona.