God’s Light Bearers

“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. For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.” Luke 8:16-17

I remember a very well known, very beautiful woman once commenting, “I don’t know why people would want to shake my hand. They don’t know what I was doing and where I came from.” I couldn’t forget her saying this when I was quite young because I remember wondering what could she have been doing to make her say that! All of us have secrets like the most embarrassing thing to have happened to us, or where we keep our passwords, but Jesus said in this same passage that there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, nothing secret that will not come to light. 

Today it is not politically correct, especially in the West, to talk about religion and politics. There’s a lot of talk about relativism and about how we should respect others’ beliefs. We tiptoe around sharing the truth, the Word of God, because what is my truth may not be another’s. This is another way the world wants to stifle us from telling others the Good News. We are God’s light bearers and what God has revealed to us, we should not hide or be shy about proclaiming. The disciples and the saints were willing to die to proclaim the truth. 

Last Friday, September 20 was the feast day of Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn and Saint Paul Chŏng Ha-sang and their companions who were beheaded in Korea for being Christians. The government in Korea tried to suppress the spread of Christianity, and over ten thousand believers were martyred, because these men and women were willing to die instead of snuffing out the light of the Good News. Today the Church in Korea is one of the most vibrant and fastest growing in the world. According to a 2023 Korea Research regular survey, 51% of South Koreans practice no religion, about 17% are Buddhists and 31% are Christians.

And today is Padre Pio’s Feast Day, the favorite saint of my mom. Because of his stigmata, because he levitated and because of all the miracles, the Church was concerned and tried to hide him and restrict his activities. But one can’t hide the light! The light of what God wanted to do through this awesome saint shown through and they had to let him do what God wanted to do through Padre Pio, pray for people, hear confession, heal the sick and do extraordinary miracles! 

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:16)