Lk 8: 16-18
“No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light. Then pay attention to how you listen; for to those who have, more will be given; and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Jesus Brings All Things to Light
Evidence of true crime culture is widely available on any streaming platform like Netflix and Hulu. We eagerly binge watch series like Dateline: Secrets Uncovered or Making a Murderer to satisfy our appetite for true crime, mysteries, confessions, and secrets. But our obsession is narrowly focused on the secrets and crimes of others. We draw a hard line when it comes to our own secrets and sins. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that there is no line. He reminds us that he will bring all things to light (and he means ALLLL the things). While we don’t fall into the category of “true crime documentary stars,” we all have areas in our lives that we want to keep hidden – places of pain, sorrow, trauma, sin, or heartbreak. Jesus meets us in those places, and offers us healing, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, and love.
Today, ask for the humility to allow Jesus’ light to reveal your places of pain, sorrow, trauma, sin, and heartbreak and ask for the openness to accept his healing, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, and love.
—Jackie Schulte is the Dean of Faculty Formation at Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha, Nebraska.
Prayer
Lord, grant me the humility to allow your light to shine through the cracks in my life.
Shine through the broken places in our families, in our communities, and in our world,
so that all may be healed.
In the name of Jesus, the true light of the world. Amen.
—Jackie Schulte