This parable, offered by Jesus, tells us to allow his light to shine through us for others to see.
Then others may be drawn to that light and experience the goodness of the Holy Spirit, and this is how God’s Kingdom grows on earth.
I was privileged to encounter someone as close to reflecting the Light of Christ as I have ever met during one of the most daunting times of my life.
It was at a time when an elderly relative of mine was seriously ill in hospital. There was a lovely old lady in the bed opposite. She had a smiley face – like one of those yellow emojis we use in texts today.
I visited my relative every day, and this lady was always sitting up in bed smiling at me, I gradually began talking to her as they recovered over a couple of months.
My smiley friend seemed to care about us both genuinely. Humbly and kindly, she would update me on what had happened in the bed opposite her during my absence from the hospital, if they had woken up, or eaten anything, etc.
Then one day, I went into the ward, and the smiley face was gone. Somebody was there lying under a pile of blankets in her bed – I felt a huge void and was sorry that I had not been able to say goodbye.
The next day though, when I went into the ward, her smiley face was again in the usual place. I think she must have been asleep the day before. I told her that I thought she had gone home, and she smiled her lovely smile.
It was then that I recognised something unfathomable in her smile. I sensed something about her presence that was not there when I could not see her face the previous day. I said to her: ‘There is something special about you – what is it that I see in you?’
She smiled at me sweetly and said: it’s the light of Christ.
The Light of Christ was Shining over Us …
Unassuming, unpretentious, and humble, my new friend never disclosed her reasons for being in the hospital. However, she did understand the gravity of the situation in the opposite bed and my deep concern.
I will never forget her and experiencing the light of Christ shining through her and over us during those dark days. The lady was clearly blessed, and I often wonder if she might have been a nun.
This is an example of what Jesus was teaching in the Parable of the Lamp. It means allow the Holy Spirit dwelling within us is to shine the love of Christ over others for all to see.
Jesus is saying in the Parable of the Lamp, let everyone you meet see my light shine through you so that they may experience my comfort and goodness.
This is how God’s Kingdom grows in the world today and this is what my lovely friend in the hospital was doing.
