Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
(II Samuel 7:18-19.24-29; Mark 4:21-25)
There is an old story about a rabbi
quizzing his disciples. “When does the
night end and the day begin?” asks the rabbi.
One disciple answers, “When you can tell the difference between a cow
and a coyote on the horizon.” Another
student responds, “When you can distinguish the oak from the apple tree in the
meadow.” The rabbi says that neither
disciple has answered correctly. “Then
when is it?” the students demand. The
rabbi answers, “Night ends and day begins when you can look into the eyes of a
stranger and see your brother or sister.”
He continues, “If you cannot do that, you are still in the night.” In today’s gospel Jesus gives a similar
lesson.
Jesus is telling his disciples a parable
about a lamp. He says that a lamp is
brought into a room to reveal what is hidden. The disciples will eventually understand that
Jesus himself is the lamp. He reveals to
his disciples that they are brothers and sisters not just to one another but to
every man and woman. More than that, he enables them to see that they are
children of God with an eternal destiny.
The light of Christ makes evident difficult
truths like the need to forgive. We put it under a bushel basket when we refuse
to allow his words to make us kinder and more patient. In this way Christ enlightens for us the road
to heaven.
