Three weeks ago, we had a dark rainy night with strong winds blowing. I was praying my evening prayers sitting in my Living Room when all the lights went out - there was a power failure ... you’ve probably had one or more of these yourselves. I looked out my front window and all the School lights were on ... I looked out my side window and Sister’s lights were on ... so I knew only my house was affected. I slowly walked to my bedroom to get my bedside flashlight ... and then found my way to the hall closet to get my emergency candles. Once I got them lit I called Alabama Power and they sent a repairman out right away in a bucket truck. He reset 2 breakers that had tripped from blowing tree limbs and my power was restored in less than an hour. How great it was to have the inside of my home lit up once again. You don’t know how much you need the light until you don’t have it ... even in your own home!

Light is essential for us to do just about everything ... except sleeping! Well, just as light is essential to find your way in the physical world ... Light is also essential to find your way in the spiritual world. There are two realms there too ...the realm of light and the realm of darkness. St. John indicates this when he describes God in his first Letter, saying ... “God is light. In Him there is no darkness at all.” He goes on “If we say ‘we have fellowship with Him’, while we continue to walk in darkness, we lie.” “But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another.”

So, the physical world contains both light and darkness ... there’s day and night, and the spiritual world also contains light and darkness ... there’s goodness and evil. Why do you think God sent His Son to us? It wasn’t to reward us for being good! No, the world was suffering in sin and needed a spiritual light to illuminate the path we needed to travel to find our way safely into the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus was that Light! That’s how He described Himself in our Gospel Acclamation from John 8:12 Jesus said: “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will have the light of life.” If you’ve ever attended the wonderful Easter Vigil Mass, you know that that Mass begins at 8 PM, when it’s dark outside and the people are all seated in darkness. The Priest then starts a fire outside, blesses the fire and lights the new Paschal Candle with the blessed fire. That Paschal Candle, representing Christ, is then brought in procession to the front of the Church. While carrying the newly lit Paschal Candle ... I exclaim three times, “Christ our light!” To which the people respond, “Thanks be to God!” Yes, indeed, Thanks be to God ... for without the Light of Christ, we’d still be wallowing in the darkness of sin, which is separation from God, who is light. Now, a truly wonderful thing that Jesus did was ... he shared His light with us! You see, in Baptism, and again in Confirmation, we receive the grace of God’s Holy Spirit which illuminates our soul with the Light of Christ ... so that we then carry it with us and ... can share the Light of Christ with others!

We see a dramatic depiction of this at each Easter Vigil Mass as the people at the end of each pew have their candles lit from the Paschal Candle and they light the person’s candle next to them and soon the whole Church that started in darkness is now aglow in light ... with light coming from each person there! And I have people look around to see the light that overcame the darkness. Once our soul has been ignited by the light of Christ, it becomes our responsibility to let that light shine so it can be seen and passed on to those around us. This is what Jesus is talking about in our Gospel today when He says, “(No one) lights a lamp and then puts it under a bushel basket.” No, He says, “(They) set it on a lampstand where it gives light to all.” And He immediately relates this to the spiritual realm saying, “Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Heavenly Father.”

Have you ever thought of yourself as being a light? Perhaps you’ve experienced someone who comes into the room and lights it up ... with their smile, their attitude, their joy, their humor, their personality. Such a person can have a big effect on the group. And so can you! Yes, you can too ... if you let the light of Christ shine out from you! You already have the light! Your job is to let it shine before all. That’s what St. Paul did. Listen to what he says in our second Reading: “For I came to you ... and my message and proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of Spirit and power.” Paul wrote 13 letters ... almost 1⁄2 of the New Testament! He was an excellent writer, but maybe not the greatest preacher. He admits this here and then gives credit to the Holy Spirit for empowering him in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. What Paul lacked in oratory skills, he made up for with passion and determination. God gives us what we need to spread the light of Christ, Paul had the Holy Spirit alive in him and it filled him with great power. It’s the Holy Spirit that fills you with the light of Christ

Those of you baptized and confirmed ... you’ve received the Light of Christ. And this brings with it certain responsibilities, one of which is to let the light that Christ you’ve been given shine to the world. Remember how you use flashlights when it’s dark outside or the power goes out! That light helps you to find your way in the darkness. Well, this world of ours is in spiritual darkness ... in that it is often operating apart from the ways of God, who is Light. So, God has gifted us with His Holy Spirit and He’s counting on us to bring spiritual light to our dark world. If we do, then the world will be able to see and find their way ... to goodness and ultimately to God. You know that you don’t turn on a flashlight and then place it under a blanket. You just burn out the batteries and you’ve accomplished nothing.

In a similar way, God doesn’t inflame us with His light and His love just so that we can keep it to ourselves. The Gospels speak often of how God always expects us to reap a fruitful harvest with the grace that He gives us. God doesn’t want us to be faint of heart, which is why he gives us the gift of Courage. He wants us to be confident and courageous as we go out to be the light of the world!

That Alabama Power Service Man came out in nasty conditions! It was dark ... it was cold and raining ... and there he was 40 feet off the ground working close to 600 KV! As an electrical engineer myself, I knew this was not good ... so I was praying like crazy for God to protect this guy! And when he replaced the second breaker and used the insulated rod to slam it into place ... it stuck ... and when I looked back at my house ... the lights were on! This man brought me the light ... in nasty conditions ... and I was so happy! When he came down I thanked him and tried to give him a tip. But he wouldn’t take it ... he said, “I’m just doing my job.” Wow! Just doing his job ... spreading the light! Well, by baptism, that’s our job too! Except, we’re not asked to spread 600 KV ... but something much more powerful ... the light of Jesus Christ ... the All-Powerful Son of God! And we’re asked to do it even in nasty conditions ... in a world that doesn’t know God ... or doesn’t want to hear about God ... or doesn’t even believe He exists!

Yes, today Jesus says, “You are the light of the world!” Notice He didn’t say: “you have the light”. He said: “you are the light”! Wow! How does that make you feel? Pretty special I hope. By being the light, others will be able to find their way ... to God ... ... God in whom there is no darkness at all! As we heard in our Responsorial Psalm, “The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.” Yes indeed, God calls us to be like Him ... and be the light of the world. This doesn’t mean you have to stand on a soapbox and preach on a street corner. No it means using the gifts you’ve been given to spread the goodness and kindness and joy and hope and compassion and care of Jesus Christ! You can do it at the Wal-Mart and the Post Office and everywhere you go. It could be as simple as offering someone a compliment or giving them a smile! Lets’ spread the light of Christ to all as we remember Jesus’ promise: “I am the light of the world”, says the Lord; “whoever follows me will have the light of life.”