Inextinguishable Flame

“Then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
and the gloom shall become for you like midday.”

Isaiah 58:10b

Have you ever sat around a campfire and watched the wood slowly burning? Or maybe blown out a candle that required more effort than you imagined? Recently I placed one of those battery-operated tealights in front of the Mary statue that is outside my office and I left it on ever since the day I turned it on — nearly 3 weeks later, it is still going strong! It reminds me of how sometimes we get so tired from our work, yet there is still some juice left in us that enables us to keep going. Although it will probably be a good idea to get a recharge. There is such a flame that resides inside our hearts, a flame enkindled the day of our baptism, a flame that is the light of Christ.

Jesus tells His disciples that they are the salt of the earth and the light of the world just as He is the Light that has come into this world, the Light that has descended into the hell of darkness bringing new life to those who have died. We are sharers in this light and bearers of it. Each Christian has this flame inside of them. Just imagine it. In this dark world that has bought into a culture of death, there are small flames of light everywhere. Imagine having x-ray or night vision and looking into the dark world and seeing the numerous little flames of light scattered everywhere. What a scene. It reminds us of the covenant God made with Abraham that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Small lights if alone is hard to see, but when clustered together can illumine the night sky.

As Christians we must come together so that our individual little flames can join together to be a light that kills off the evil that plagues this world, the light that uncovers the truth, and the light that brings warmth and hope to those in despair and darkness. We must do our best to help others see the inextinguishable flame that is within them. And when our flame grows dim, we must join ourselves to our brothers and sisters who will kindle our flame once again, for when we do so, the Light and Source of our flames is in our midst. It is prayer and relationship that will reenergize us when we grow weary. We must never forget that. Just like the little tealight outside of my office before Our Lady that stays on however dim, as long as there is a battery in it, no matter how tired we may grow in our fight for the defense of all that is good and true, the light within us still flickers because the Source of our light can never be extinguished.

Part of the Remnant

“But I will leave as a remnant in your midst
a people humble and lowly,
who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD:
the remnant of Israel.”

Zephaniah 3:12-13a

In some of the Prophetic Books, we hear of this “remnant theology,” where the Prophets speak of a “remnant” of God’s people who will remain, the few that remain faithful, whose descendants will see the Messiah. As we may recall in Biblical history the Israelites repeatedly turned away from God and when the Prophets came to encourage them to return to the Lord with their hearts, some did but even more ignored them. As a result of their self-righteousness, pride, and idolatry, the Israelites fell into the hands of foreign powers, being exiled from their homeland. While in exile, some continued to turn away from God, while others came to accept the gods of their captors, but there were some who remained faithful to the Lord, the God who made His covenant with their ancestors. These faithful few became the remnant, the remnant through whom Salvation would come.

This notion of the “remnant” is not foreign to us today. To be Christian is to be countercultural. While Christians fight to defend life the world is calling all to embrace a culture of death. How is it that we live in a world that seeks and pursues death and not life, hatred and selfishness and not love and selflessness? Those who choose life and those who pursue the Truth are in the minority; they are the remnant of God. They will be ridiculed, persecuted, and even killed for their beliefs. Despite these hardships, the faithful remnant will continue to defend all that is good and all that is true because they know and believe that ultimately God is in control, that God is the Creator and that no creation can ever outmaneuver or triumph over its Creator. No matter how bad things may seem or be, we must always remind ourselves that God has the final say, and that God will bring good out of evil and life out of death. The faithful remnant will see the face of God and will inherit the earth.

In many ways the Beatitudes or the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-12) outlines the way of the remnant. They are poor in spirit and meek, merciful and pure of heart, pursuers of righteousness and peace, and persecuted for speaking and defending the truth. Yet in all of this, they are the victors because they are blessed, not only in this world, but also in the life to come. Just as through the faithful remnant of Israel came the Messiah and Savior of the world, so too will many souls be saved from the sacrifices and suffering of the faithful remnant of today.

Will we choose to be a part of the faithful remnant of today?

Come After Me

“He said to them,

‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’”

Matthew 4:19

Is there someone in your life whose presence changed your life? Perhaps a spouse, a child, or a best friend? We can all agree, I think, that there are some people who come into our lives and leave a lasting imprint or mark. In addition to those listed above, maybe a mentor, someone whom you look up to, or a teacher. There are also some people who may come into your life and stay for only a short while, yet their impact or influence on our lives are permanent and enduring. Who are those people for you?

“Come after me” were the words Our Lord spoke to Simon and Andrew as they were casting their nets into the waters of the Sea of Galilee. These three words, and those that followed, changed the lives of Simon and Andrew forever. Notice that it was the Lord who first approached them. It was Jesus who first sought them out in the place of their work, in the place of familiarity. Then, after hearing the Lord’s invitation “Come after me” Simon and Andrew “immediately” or “at once left their nets and followed him” (Mt. 4:20). The Lord seeks, finds, and calls, but there must be a response that follows. For Simon and Andrew, it was trading in their physical nets for spiritual nets with which they will fish men, gathering people from diverse backgrounds to heed the same call they first received, “Come after me.”

Likewise, the Lord seeks us in our place of familiarity and comfortability and He invites us to accompany Him on a journey that will forever change our lives. But He will not force us or drag us. It is our choice, but we must make a decision. It is a decision that is not once and done. It is a daily choice, a momentary choice, a continuous choice. We must make the decision to choose to say “Yes, Lord, I will follow You” every day and every moment of our lives, and when we do our lives will never be the same. However, there will be times when it will be so much easier to ignore the call or even say “Not now, Lord. I’m a bit busy. I know You understand.” Those are the moments when we must pause and instead say, “Lord, I am really struggling to say yes to You today. Give me the courage to” and trust that He will.

The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time is known as the “Sunday of the Word of God,” in which we are invited to pay particular attention to the Word of God, to take a few extra moments to really listen to the Word of God with our hearts. Today we are invited to take in the words Jesus spoke to Simon and Andrew — “Come after me.” Where might the Lord be calling us? How will we respond? Let us always remember that the invitation, “Come after me,” presupposes one very important truth: the One who calls goes before us and never ceases to be with us. He says “come after me” not “go your own way” or “take this and go,” but rather, “come after me,” assuring us that it is He who leads us.

On a side note, today is also Chinese (Lunar) New Year. How providential is it that it coincides with the Sunday of the Word of God this year, prompting the people who celebrate this New Year to do so with the Word of God, to begin this new year first by listening to the Word of God and then to follow the Word who has been made flesh in our daily lives.

Brothers and sisters, the Lord comes to find us today and He says to us, “Come after me.” What will our response be?