Catechesis on the 1st day of Misa de Aguinaldo

LAMPS OF GOD

By Fr Wilmer Tria

This first day of Aguinaldo, Jesus introduces John the Baptist as a burning and shining lamp. During the time of Jesus, everyone was at a loss. The sick, the persons with disabilities, the lepers, were marginalized and tagged as impure. The Jews were oppressed and kept in the dark. No one was teaching the right path to God. But John, the lonely voice in the desert, was crying out: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord.’

When there is power outage, we light a candle or switch on our generators. When there is complete darkness, we are helpless. We cannot move. We are vulnerable; we can be robbed. We are easy preys; we can be attacked, hurt or killed. The song goes, ‘it is better to light one candle than to stumble in the dark’.

Jesus is the light. John is a lamp who carries the light. The word of God is the light. John is the voice that transmits the word to us. Spiritual darkness is dangerous to our souls. It paralyses us; it can hurt us; it can kill our souls. Reading the scriptures, joining prayer meetings, going to confession, seeking advice from a spiritual director or a friend, are ways to light a candle so we do not stumble in the dark.

Our country is suffering from darkness. Many people are spiritually blinded by fake news and trolls, intimidated by bashers and haters, victimized by historical revisionists. We, Catholics, are called to be like John, to be like burning and shining lamps to light our world. We need to leave our comfort zones, roll up our sleeves and do our part for the good of our country. Let us offer to God our lives so that we can be His mouthpiece in proclaiming His Kingdom of life, not death, His Kingdom of justice, not corruption, His Kingdom of love, not hatred, to every dark corner in our country. We are called to be lamps of God.