Gospel LK 8:16-18
Jesus said to the crowd:
“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.
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.”
“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.
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.”
Reflection
One of my favorite hymns is "This Little Light of Mine." Furthermore, I've always been fascinated by the concept of light - no matter how faint it always overpowers even the darkest dark instantaneously. So, it would be easy for me to focus in on the analogy of our lives being a light and how we have the power to overcome evil.
In fact, had this been last year, I would have settled for that response, and in many ways it would have been sufficient.
My faith has grown, however, over the course of the past year and as such I felt inspired to challenge myself for a deeper and newer insight into a reading that has always resonated with me.
As I reflected on the passage, my mind wrestled with the last part of this scripture from Luke: "To anyone who has, more will be give, from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away." This seems to contradict other pieces of scripture including the Beatitudes (blessed are the...) as well as Matthew 20:16:
For the answer, we must hone in on Jesus's words immediately after finishing the analogy of the light: "Take care, then, how you hear." Jesus isn't necessarily talking about our gifts and talents as He refers to the light. Instead, He references the Word of God, and how once we hear it, we should be so inspired so as to illuminate these truths to others. Take care, then, Jesus warns, how we hear. We must also listen.
We hear lots of things. Right now I can hear the copier in the office, I can hear the hum of other electronics and I can hear the ticking of the clock. As students pass in the hallways, I can hear their shuffling and their chuckling. But, I don't always listen to those things. When I do, I can notice that the copier has jammed (for the 17th time today!), I can notice that students aren't just moving but are causing some sort of a problem. My hearing, when I listen, moves from the noise just entering my eardrums to the sensations actually having an effect on and moving into my brain. Usually, upon listening to either a dysfunctional copier or dysfunction in the hallways, I'm also moved to literally move...and to do something.
The Word of God, when we have the heart to listen, inspires us to want more. In this way, we continue to seek out God's message. We continue to search for more and more of His goodness. If God's Word merely passes into our ears but never reaches our hearts, even the little that we have received will be taken away.
Let us be careful how we hear, then. Let us be sure to listen. Not with our ears or even our minds but with our hearts.
Let us listen. Let us listen. Let us listen.
In fact, had this been last year, I would have settled for that response, and in many ways it would have been sufficient.
My faith has grown, however, over the course of the past year and as such I felt inspired to challenge myself for a deeper and newer insight into a reading that has always resonated with me.
As I reflected on the passage, my mind wrestled with the last part of this scripture from Luke: "To anyone who has, more will be give, from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away." This seems to contradict other pieces of scripture including the Beatitudes (blessed are the...) as well as Matthew 20:16:
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.Why then, would Jesus tell us that those who have a lot will get more and those who have little will have their meager resources stripped from them? How is that fair? How does that jive with Jesus's other messages?
For the answer, we must hone in on Jesus's words immediately after finishing the analogy of the light: "Take care, then, how you hear." Jesus isn't necessarily talking about our gifts and talents as He refers to the light. Instead, He references the Word of God, and how once we hear it, we should be so inspired so as to illuminate these truths to others. Take care, then, Jesus warns, how we hear. We must also listen.
We hear lots of things. Right now I can hear the copier in the office, I can hear the hum of other electronics and I can hear the ticking of the clock. As students pass in the hallways, I can hear their shuffling and their chuckling. But, I don't always listen to those things. When I do, I can notice that the copier has jammed (for the 17th time today!), I can notice that students aren't just moving but are causing some sort of a problem. My hearing, when I listen, moves from the noise just entering my eardrums to the sensations actually having an effect on and moving into my brain. Usually, upon listening to either a dysfunctional copier or dysfunction in the hallways, I'm also moved to literally move...and to do something.
The Word of God, when we have the heart to listen, inspires us to want more. In this way, we continue to seek out God's message. We continue to search for more and more of His goodness. If God's Word merely passes into our ears but never reaches our hearts, even the little that we have received will be taken away.
Let us be careful how we hear, then. Let us be sure to listen. Not with our ears or even our minds but with our hearts.
Let us listen. Let us listen. Let us listen.
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