Guest Column / Richard Etienne

Let your light—and gifts—shine brightly for all to see

In the Gospel of Matthew, we read, “So let your light shine for all to see” (Mt 5:16). So, what talent or resource do you have that you have never truly shared with your family, parish, local community or even the larger world?

Stop. Go back. What did you think of when you read the above question? Read it again.

Did you think of something specific that one of these groups needs, especially at this time in history, whether it be a personal talent that you possess or some resource that you no longer require?

What keeps you from making a strategic plan to actually use or offer this gift to the service of others?

In Matthew, we also read, “Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (Mt 5:15-16).

Does a person set a lamp under a (bushel) basket? This would certainly dim the light that comes from the lamp. Isn’t it amazing that we have somehow heard a passage for so long that we don’t truly “hear” it any longer?

Or does a person not set the lamp on one of the highest points in the surrounding space to take full advantage of the light that is produced so that it might illuminate as many objects as possible in the immediate area?

Have you ever heard someone say, “I have often thought about doing this [fill in the blank] but I just don’t know if now is the right time”?

As we read in St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, “Now is the acceptable time” (2 Cor 6:2). In the First Letter of Peter, we also hear, “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another …” (1 Pt 4:10), and it continues, “… whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ …” (1 Pt 4:11).

What are you waiting for? When would be a great time to unveil and release your special talent or treasure? The Church and larger community are waiting for those “gifts” that you alone can give!
 

(Richard Etienne has a degree in theology from Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad and resides in Newburgh, Ind.) †