Daily Prayer
September 20th, 2010
"You must let your light shine in the sight of all"
Matthew 5 : 16
I think one of the most beautiful parts of the baptismal ceremony is when the parent or godparent lights the child’s candle from the Easter candle. Addressing the parents and godparents the celebrant then says: ‘this child enlightened by Christ is to walk always as a child of the light.’
On more than one occasion Jesus uses the symbol of light to refer to himself and his disciples. It doesn’t surprise us that He calls himself the ‘Light of the world’ (John 8, 12 ) but that He tells His followers that they too are the light of the world ( Matt 5, 14 ) should really amaze us. No wonder Pope St Leo, a great Pope of the early century urged all Christians to recognize their dignity.
Our baptism sometimes referred as christening is indeed a great privilege, which brings with it a responsibility. We are called to let our light shine, to bear witness to the Christ- life within us. In today’s gospel our Lord compares hiding our Christian faith to hiding a lighted lamp under a bed. Just as a lamp is meant to be put on a lamp stand and thus show others the way so our faith should shine in our homes, our parishes, our places of work and recreation and thus enlighten others.
Prayer
Lord, we thank you for the light of faith received in Baptism. May it always shine brightly so that others may come to know you as the way, the truth and the life. Amen.
The prayer for each day has been prepared by various members of the Holy Family Association. All who visit our website are remembered in prayer. If you would like us to pray for a particular need, simply complete and submit the form on the right hand side of this page. You may wish to leave a comment in the space below.
Just a Thought
How the Holy Family prayer: A Reflection by Pope Benedict XVI
“I would like to invite you to reflect on the place of prayer in the life of the Holy Family of Nazareth. The home of Nazareth, in fact, is a school of prayer where we learn to listen, to ponder and to penetrate the profound meaning of the manifestation of the Son of God, drawing our example from Mary, Joseph and Jesus.
Pope Paul VI during his visit to Nazareth said “we come to understand the need for a spiritual discipline, if we wish to follow the teaching of the Gospel and become disciples of Christ.” And he added: “First, it teaches us silence. Oh! That there would be reborn in us the esteem for silence, that wonderful and indispensable atmosphere of the spirit: while we are deafened by so many noises, sounds and clamorous voices in the frantic and tumultuous times of modern life. Oh! Silence of Nazareth, teach us to be resolute in good thoughts, intent upon the interior life, ready to listen well to the secret inspirations of God and the exhortations of the true masters.”
We can glean several insights on the Holy Family’s prayer and relationship with God from the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ childhood. We may begin with the Presentation of Jesus in the temple. St. Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph, “when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, brought the child up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord”(2:22). Like every observant Jewish family, Jesus’ parents go up to the temple to consecrate the firstborn son to God and to offer sacrifice. Moved by fidelity to the law’s prescriptions, they set off from Bethlehem and go up to Jerusalem with Jesus, who is now forty days old. Instead of a one-year-old lamb, they present the offering of simple families; that is two young pigeons. The Holy Family’s pilgrimage is one of faith, of the offering of gifts, a symbol of prayer, and of encounter with the Lord, whom Mary and Joseph already see in the son Jesus.”
