Tuesday June 13, 2023

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“We’re living in the light that destroys evil, but we’re not doing enough with what we’ve been given.”

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Good News Reflection for:

Tuesday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church
June 13, 2023

Today’s Prayer:

Lord Jesus: Preserve in me the flavor of good deeds and the light of faith You gave me. And, though winds may blow strong, may I always be a sign of Your presence everywhere at any time. Amen.

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Today’s Readings:

2 Corinthians 1:18-22
Ps 119:129-133, 135
Matthew 5:13-16
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/061323.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-june-13-2023

You are light for the world

Although Jesus was the most humble person who ever lived, he never hid himself. Yet we think that being humble means hiding ourselves so that we don’t draw attention to ourselves. And thus we miss opportunities to evangelize.

Jesus says in today’s Gospel that we must not hide our light under a basket. In our baptisms, we received the light of Christ. In our personal decisions to follow him, we fanned the flames of this light. Why hide it? We are Christ for the world! We are his hands and feet and voice. Why aren’t we making his presence within us more visible? There are certainly many who could benefit from this! Faith should not be only a private experience.

People often ask, “If God is real, why does he allow bad things to happen? Why does he allow evil to exist?” The answer is: because we allow evil to exist. All of us who are Christians are his Body here on earth. We’re living in the light that destroys evil, but frankly, we’re not doing enough with what we’ve been given.

Our world is full of evil-doers. However, as Christians we should not react with fear to their doings nor to their presence in our lives. Christ is calling us to love them as he loves them and be good witnesses of who he really is. Be not afraid! Instead, be excited about new opportunities to evangelize. Ask Jesus to go ahead of you into potential opportunities for faith-filled discussions. Ask the Holy Spirit to prepare their hearts and to anoint your conversations. And then wait and watch for the Lord to open a door of opportunity. It might look like a casual moment or it could be the trials in their lives. The light of Christ in you (your peaceful joy amidst stress, for example) can be very attractive, drawing them toward you with curiosity.

When you see an opening, be not afraid! It’s a sin to keep Jesus bottled up and locked away. He wants to speak out, but we don’t want to feel embarrassed or criticized, so we zip shut his lips. He wants to love the unlovable through us, but we prefer to stay angry at them. He wants to conquer evil by spreading his light of truth everywhere, but we hide under a basket.

In other words, we hold Jesus captive inside our selfishness.

That’s quite an empty feeling. As much as we have the fullness of Jesus within us, if we’re not giving it to others, we feel empty, which makes us feel lonely even when we’re not alone. It’s like a faucet. Wrap your hand around your kitchen faucet. When the tap is closed, the pipes are full of water, but you can’t feel it. Let the water flow and now you feel its power. In the same way, we can only feel the fullness of God’s love and power within us when we let it flow out to others.

In today’s first reading, we’re shown the importance of our yes meaning yes. Are we really committed to Jesus? Do we really want to follow him everywhere? If yes, then we don’t say no to any opportunities that would let him change the world through us.

Reflect more on this subject using our video “Here I am Lord, Your Beloved Child” @ https://gnm-media.org/lord-beloved-child/.

© 2023 by Terry A. Modica

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