If the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be. – Matthew 6:23

       I am presently living in New Zealand where a few months of the year, the sun sets late in the evening, sometimes as late as 9 p.m. So you get to do a lot of things late into the night.

       I happily take advantage of this to move around and do errands, visit some place or do whatever my husband and I want to do while there is still some light.

      This makes me wonder how it would feel to live in the Antarctic where, for several months of the year, it is just night.

       Inside us, there is darkness and light. Light is hope, faith and love. Darkness is unforgiveness, cynicism and resentment, to name a few. One gives us room to move, to be happy, and to really live. The other curtails our life’s movement.

       How lit is the room in your heart? Have you much room to move? Joyce Sosoban-Roa (jsosoban@gmail.com)

Pope Francis Says: “From my point of view, God is the light that illuminates the darkness, even if it does not dissolve it, and a spark of divine light is within each of us.”

Dear Lord, sometimes my darkness is so dark that I’m not even aware of it. Have mercy on me, Lord. Let Your love shine Your light in my life.

The conspiracies and machinations of the royal family of Israel are no better than any other ruling dynasty in its corruption and deceit. Let us pray that our Christian communities are different from this. May the grace of service and love abound in our communities and our lives.

2 Kings 11:1-4, 9-18, 20

1 When Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she began to kill off the whole royal family. 2 But Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash, his son, and spirited him away, along with his nurse, from the bedroom where the princes were about to be slain. She concealed him from Athaliah, and so he did not die. 3 For six years he remained hidden in the temple of the Lord, while Athaliah ruled the land. 4 But in the seventh year, Jehoiada summoned the captains of the Carians and of the guards. He had them come to him in the temple of the Lord, exacted from them a sworn commitment, and then showed them the king’s son. 9 The captains did just as Jehoiada the priest commanded. Each one with his men, both those going on duty for the sabbath and those going off duty that week, came to Jehoiada the priest. 10 He gave the captains King David’s spears and shields, which were in the temple of the Lord. 11 And the guards, with drawn weapons, lined up from the southern to the northern limit of the enclosure, surrounding the altar and the temple on the king’s behalf. 12 Then Jehoiada led out the king’s son and put the crown and the insignia upon him. They proclaimed him king and anointed him, clapping their hands and shouting, “Long live the king!” 13 Athaliah heard the noise made by the people, and appeared before them in the temple of the Lord. 14 When she saw the king standing by the pillar, as was the custom, and the captains and trumpeters near him, with all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets, she tore her garments and cried out, “Treason, treason!” 15 Then Jehoiada the priest instructed the captains in command of the force: “Bring her outside through the ranks. If anyone follows her,” he added, “let him die by the sword.” He had given orders that she should not be slain in the temple of the Lord. 16 She was led out forcibly to the horse gate of the royal palace, where she was put to death. 17 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord as one party and the king and the people as the other, by which they would be the Lord’s people; and another covenant, between the king and the people. 18 Thereupon all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and demolished it. They shattered its altars and images completely, and slew Mattan, the priest of Baal, before the altars. Jehoiada appointed a detachment for the temple of the Lord. 20 All the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet, now that Athaliah had been slain with the sword at the royal palace.

Psalm 132:11, 12, 13-14, 17-18

R: The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.

11 The Lord swore to David a firm promise from which he will not withdraw: “Your own offspring I will set upon your throne.” (R) 12 “If your sons keep my covenant and the decrees which I shall teach them, their sons, too, forever shall sit upon your throne.” (R) 13 For the Lord has chosen Zion; he prefers her for his dwelling. 14 “Zion is my resting place forever; in her will I dwell, for I prefer her.” (R) 17 “In her will I make a horn to sprout forth for David; I will place a lamp for my anointed. 18 His enemies I will clothe with shame, but upon him my crown shall shine.” (R)

Where do you store your treasures? Jesus is clear about what people of faith should focus on when it comes to their treasures. Too often we fight about the things that pass away and are not significant to eternal life. A wise and holy person is not concerned with the pleasures of this world and balances them with good works that will redound to their praise among the heavenly hosts.

Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

19 Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. 22 The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.”

Thank You Lord for: __________________

POPE FRANCIS AS OUR MODEL

Jesus used body parts as metaphors in our Gospel passage today. He talks about the heart in the first part of the reading regarding our treasure in life, and also about the eye in the second part as the indicator of our spiritual health.

       Our beloved Pope Francis is a concrete illustration for this. His gentle, smiling face exudes a gospel of joy; his serene countenance is infectious and contagious, and that’s not only for digicams and iPhones, FB posts and Twitter feeds! More than his smiles, glances and facial gestures, his protocol-breaking deeds and actions speak volumes full of gospel values and virtues. Recall those headline-hugging moves of his, like the raffling off of his possessions (the proceeds of which were given to the poor), his choice of vehicles to ride on during his papal travels, and his explicit requests and instructions for simplicity and frugality during his visit to the Philippines last year.

       Jesus’ teaching, after all, is meant to be lived and put into practice; it can’t just be left on desks and shelves to gather dust. Because if it were so, the dust would cause colds and allergies of apathy and indifference. Instead, virtuous deeds of simplicity and joy are healthy viruses, needed for spreading good cheer, peace and tranquility. The urgency for this is even more felt in a dark world of violence, treachery and hatred.

      We have Pope Francis leading the way through his example. It’s already been more than a year and a half since he visited the Philippines. Have we allowed him to “contaminate” our lives? And have we adequately spread the “infection” of his contagious kindness and simplicity? Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTION: How has Pope Francis’s visit last year affected your day-today life today?

May I never be blinded by the lures of the world, Lord. Help me to focus on the treasures that will matter in heaven. Amen.