Our phrase this week is all about light: Light for the world while it is in darkness. Being the light. Keeping His words close while we strive in the world. But how do we do that? How do we find God’s light and draw on it? Through our Bible, Jesus states “You are the light of the world…Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-15 ESV) Philippians 4:13 further states that “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (ESV) From these words, we can deduct that it is through being ourselves and drawing our strength from God, which in enables us to be a light for others. We should do this, not only to benefit one another but also to benefit and thank God in all that we do, for all that we have. As Catholic Christians, we can use the tools taught to us by Jesus and His Church: to seek the Lord first and above all else, to count on Him daily for strength in our endeavors, and to remind others that our good actions and blessings come from God and are not only of our own making. We seek God through attentive reading of the Bible, faithful prayer, generous almsgiving, joyful engagement in the sacraments- including participation in the mass and heartful penance, reverential fasting, and taking example from the Saints and martyrs. These enable us, at every instance, to strengthen our bond with God, learn from the words and deeds of others, and grow as a person in understanding and wisdom. When we do these actions, we help understand our world more like God, and in doing so, we naturally want to help our community and be “a light” for it, which, in turn, motivates others to spread and share that light as well. In doing more for our community, we are blessed even further by others good too. This truly illustrates that when we give, we receive, and when we live by God’s light, we can all shine like lights on the world, as a reflection of Him.
Christine Brown, assistant to Parish Youth choir and the Brown children (Olivia and Logan), members of the Parish Youth choir.
Here is the music to be presented on this 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The hymn, “Open My Eyes” will prepare our hearts for the Lenten season, and we sing “Alleluia, Sing to Jesus” as we are sent forth. This is the Sunday we will sing Alleluia in the liturgy until the great Easter Vigil. https://bit.ly/3HNsXZO February 26 and 27 Hymns https://bit.ly/3pc2u0z Winter Mass Settings 2022