Light on a Lampstand

What is the ‘light’ that Jesus tells us to place on a lampstand? Br Joseph Maryam reflects.

The following homily was preached to the student brothers during Compline. You can listen here or read below:

Reading: Mark 4:21-25

Many cultures and religions around the world have a positive relationship with light. Growing up in the Syro-Malabar tradition, my earliest memories are filled with church festivals and bright lights. Light brings life and joy. In this gospel, we come across Jesus’s exhortation to place the light on a lampstand. What is this light?

For St. Thomas Aquinas, whose feast we celebrated today, only God has light by essence and thus any illumination we experience is a participation in God’s light. He says: “God is always the cause of the soul’s natural light.” (De Trin. I.1 ad 6)

And in the Prologue of John’s gospel, we hear that Jesus is “the true light, which gives light to everyone”. (John1:9a)

Each one of us are called to be partakers in this divine light, with the recognition that this light is a gift of God himself to us. James the apostle affirms this in his epistle saying: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17) But we have to let him in, this light reveals to us the truth of our being, and it can be uncomfortable because he reveals our imperfections by shedding light into dark corners of our lives. This light can be dazzling, which might leave us puzzled. And the temptation often can be to spend inordinate time and effort to hide these imperfections.

But in this light Holy Spirit also reveals our gifts and talents, which can often take us by surprise. Out of false humility, we can hide within ourselves. But this comes from a place of pride and self-centeredness. We can lie to ourselves, saying “we have to be perfect before sharing our light with the world” (cf. 2 Cor 12:9). God does not need perfection; he assures us that “his grace is sufficient, for his power is made perfect in weakness”. And our little flickering light will lead many to the author of that light.

Jesus is inviting us to go beyond ourselves, rather than being preoccupied with our own self-improvement projects, by focusing on our imperfections. We do have a responsibility to ourselves and are commanded to “work out our salvation through fear and trembling” but often forget to participate in the grace provided to us. We should consider the needs of others before ourselves; this is humility: to be receptive to our brothers and sisters, to use our gifts and talents in service of them. And often to die to oneself is our true calling. It is in losing ourselves that we find true purpose in life. And we glorify God by letting the light of Christ shine through us and thus participate in his divine life. By this, we experience fullness of life, for “with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.” (Mark 4:24b)

Image: Jacopo Tintoretto, The Last Supper (c. 1592-1594). Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.