St. Mary Catholic Church ~ Chelsea, Michigan

September 20 – Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs

In today’s gospel (click here) Jesus states the blindingly obvious: “No one who lights a lamp ‘puts it under a bushel basket’” as the translation from my childhood put it. The theme of light runs through the gospels, and today it serves as a metaphor for our faith. Our faith is certainly for our good, but also for “the good of all his holy Church” – understanding “church” to be writ large.  The passage ends with Jesus saying “Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.” – Note that Jesus says “what he seems to have” – If we do not exercise our faith in our lives, it is at risk of fading away. Can it be restored? Based upon my own experience: Of course it can! But once restored, I have to deal with the grief over opportunities missed while my faith was “on hiatus.”

Deacon Tom