Gospel: Matthew 5:13-16

In the Gospel passage from Matthew, Jesus makes clear that each of us has a
unique mission to be the light of the world. How do we achieve this? Does our
personal mission consist in amazing individualistic feats? Stunning public
performances of some kind? The first reading from the Prophet Isaiah tells us that
we become a light to the world if we feed the hungry, shelter the homeless and
clothe the naked. The human person is a fundamentally relational being. Our
mission consists in entering into relationships of love and service with God and with
the people we encounter in our daily lives. That is how we become a light for the
world! If we follow individual, egoistic goals then we fail in our mission and bring
darkness to the world. If I am caught up in my own projects, worries and sufferings,
then I bring gloom and shadows to the people around me. The more I strive for my
own individual light, the darker I become! But if, in union with Jesus on the cross,
my sufferings and limits orient me towards God and neighbour, then I become a
shining light in the obscurity of this world. Our Lord Jesus becomes a light to the
world above all at the moment that he is hanging on the cross. At the moment of his
death there is an eclipse of the sun and the world is thrown into darkness. The
absence of natural light helps us to appreciate that Jesus is a light of a much
different and more enduring kind! Jesus is our light because he offers his sufferings
on our behalf and thus he illuminates all of history. At the end of the day, God is the
origin of all light. He gives us life and wishes to fan us into a flame that will
illuminate the world. We will be the light when we cease striving for worldly light
and limelight, when we cease pursuing our selfish goals and instead turn towards
God and neighbour. Until we shine with this light, we are not truly living at all.