As we welcome our first communion children to their family Mass on the Procession of the Gifts, our Gospel acclamation from John introduces very nicely our theme this weekend: ‘I am the light of the world…whoever follows me will have the light of life’.
On Thursday during Year 4 Class Mass the children learned the significance of the procession which we sometimes call the Offertory. The gifts of bread and wine we offer will become the body and blood of Christ. In making that offering, we are offering ourselves too on behalf of the whole community, our human talents we have been given and our uniqueness and faith and those unseen gifts of the Holy Spirit, for example wisdom, understanding and knowledge.
We are offering ourselves as a service to God and the community and in Holy Communion as Christ lives in us we offer ourselves for the benefit of others and ask for nothing in return. As Christ is the light of the world so to, do we become the light of the world, we become and act Christ-like.
These acts of faith in action are demonstrated in the First Reading from the prophecy of Isaiah. The Lord says that your light will shine like the dawn by doing good, showing your faith through good works: ‘share your bread with the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the man you see to be naked.’ We can see the link both with the psalm, ‘a light rises in the darkness for the upright’ and the Gospel: ‘…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.’
It is where we ask or expect nothing in return for the good works we may undertake do we shine our light. We were in Cyprus last year and drove to Paphos old town. Searching for a parking space we found one eventually, parked and went to feed the meter. We put in the length of time we needed but had difficulty paying on the phone wallet. We tried a couple of times unsuccessfully. A young couple came up behind us to pay for their parking, so we stepped back to let them pay theirs, which proved successful on their phone. They kindly waited while we tried again and getting to the unsuccessful payment step again and wondering what to do, we didn’t notice but they stepped in and paid on theirs, and when we realised they walked away with our many thanks. This was a small act of kindness admittedly, but small acts we all know mean a lot. That small amount of light shining from them made a big difference: we didn’t know them and didn’t see them again, and it cost us nothing but thanks.
Christians are the light of the world. Year 6 in Ss Peter and Paul School has just started a Faith In Action PIN award, theme Discovery, continuing to Year 10: through bronze, Service; silver, Leadership and gold, Innovation. For their first award they are expected to work as a class group. Some examples are suggested: fundraising in school or parish, working together on a school assembly, putting together charity hampers. Class members themselves suggested participation in liturgy, organising a CAFOD event, producing prayer cards and with planning and safeguarding considered, visiting the sick or housebound. This Faith in Action initiative demonstrates being a light in the world, shining into the darkness of those in need. It alerts us to the fact that we cannot hide beneath the parapet of life, or in darkness, or hide our talents, and shows by our example what we can achieve to draw the world to God; no faith is proven by lack of good deeds. In his letter James says, ‘What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’ It is easy to let the light shine in the comfort of our own living space, but is that not being selfish, that we are keeping the light to ourselves? It is not always easy to let the light shine into the world outside our walls.
The First Reading, Psalm and Gospel point to the Christian community, of which we are a part, and from which we cannot hide, as the light of the world. The simple privilege of carrying the gifts to the Altar is an important symbol of us presenting ourselves for service for the sake of the wider community: in doing so we are offering ourselves for some sacrifice of service as the bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus who offered himself in sacrifice for our sake – it is a commemoration of his sacrifice.
In our Christ-like life of service we recall the prayer of St Teresa of Avila:
“Christ has no body now on earth but yours;
No hands but yours; no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look out on the world.
Yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good.
Yours are the hands with which He is to bless His people.”
Let us live our faith in action.