Bible
Study: 1st Kings 17, 7 to 16 and Matthew 5,
13 to 16.
In the creation of the
world, the very first thing that God uttered was “Let there be Light!” Genesis
1, 3. To have started with light goes to show the overall importance of light
as far as life on earth is concerned. When Jesus says we should be light, he
meant to emphasis how important we are and what we should be doing to make life
on earth meaningful.
People
are in need of mentors. The greatest attack on Christianity today is the
disappearance of mentors; people who inspire others by their life; people who
show others the way and give them a standard to aspire to. To be a Christian at
all is to be a mentor to others and you cannot be a mentor if there is nothing
outstanding about your life. You cannot be a mentor if your standard of living
is not set on virtue.
Just
as the light did not come on its own, every light needs another light greater
than itself to shine. For instance, a light bulb cannot shine unless it is
connected to electricity. We do not see electricity but because we use it to
power our light bulbs, we call electricity light, and instead of us to say, “There
is no electric power in the house”, we end up saying “There is no light in my
house.” As Christians, we cannot be light without first connecting to
electricity and the only electricity is the word of God.
Hence
our responsorial psalm today sings: “Lift up the light of your face on us, O Lord.”
A Christian is like the moon, it is only to the extent it receives light from
the Sun that is able to shine. When you are connected to God, nothing is
impossible for you. Just Like Elijah became a light to the widow who was
prepping for death by speaking a word of prophecy to her, you too can be a
light to your brothers and sisters when you allow God work through you.
As
salt is to food, so a Christian should be to the world. As a Christian, you are
a repository, a receptacle, a vessel so to say, of happiness. You are to make
this world sweeter and more interesting for others. Yesterday, Jesus gave us
the secrets of happiness in the beatitudes. By living out those beatitudes, we
not only find happiness for ourselves, we become salt to others.
People
should not go away sad upon an encounter with you. Before writing this
reflection, I read an article about the electric fish. This fish is not born
blind but becomes blind over time because in other to ward off predators, it constantly
emits electric shock waves capable of electrocuting any living organism that
come close to it. And by so doing, it electrocutes its own eyes. It is a fish
that lives with suspicion, it believes that whatever comes its way is harmful
and its blindness even further increases its suspicion so it never stops
sending out electric shocks. The animal thus goes into a cyclic paranoia and
self-infliction of pain causing it to be more blind irreversibly.
You
see such is the situation in some people’s life. They suspect everybody and
everything! They are always on a mindset of ‘someone is doing me’, ‘something
evil is coming to happen to me’, ‘someone is planning to harm me’, etc. By
having this kind of mental picture such people release shock waves that
electrocutes whoever comes near them. Friends who mean well, are branded
enemies, parents are considered evil, siblings are suspected of hatching evil
plots, work colleagues are branded enemies, Etc. When people go into such
self-destruct mode, all they think about is themselves and not the feelings of
others. The desire to protect oneself end up in hurting others. Let us all
strive to cultivate a positive attitude of love.
Knowing
that we are salt should cause us to reflect on how we live. Is my presence a source
of happiness and joy to others? Do people come to me and leave me happier, more
relaxed and hopeful? Or do I emit electric shocks on whoever comes my way?
Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, help me to be a
light and salt to my brothers and sisters, to shine constantly whether or not
others are watching and to make the world a happier place. Amen.
Good morning.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you.
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