Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 320

“Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lamp stand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light.

Some time ago a Veteran told me that, once he admitted his alcoholism and began the work of healing, he became more attractive to people. He spoke in a group and I did not pursue the topic further, but I was fascinated by his remark. He brought a lot of energy and good will to the process and seemed a natural leader, one who can articulate his thoughts while others sit in bewildered silence.

Anyone who reads the New Testament hears the call to spread the Good News. The Bible is not a self-help manual for isolated individuals. It is an invitation to fellowship within resplendent joy. The Christian whose heart shines with healing cannot stay hidden; she comes out to join others in the Church and they become a brightly-lit city on a hill, impossible to hide.

This quality of joy makes the Word of God always fresh, always new. It never grows old or stale. As Jesus told the woman at the well:

“…whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

and, in Chapter 4:

Whoever believes in me, as scripture says: ‘Rivers of living water will flow from within him.”

The work of the spiritual life is to maintain the purity and clarity of that spring. We must drink from it each day even as we avoid contaminants -- ambitions, fears and prejudices. Joy wants everyone to share the joy; it cannot be confined to one’s friends, family or social group. Even to entertain a preference strangles its vitality. The Earth is dry and thirsty for our blessings. 

I might not radiate effervescent joy all the time, but to be turned in the right direction is to be filled with light.