Happy Easter friends! What an exciting time to be alive! This week we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus! The whole reason for our being comes to light. Our hope for what is to come. This little light of mine, has to shine.
It is one of my favorite children’s songs. “This Little Light of Mine” has been around since 1920. It’s one of those songs that can get stuck in your head all day. Hum it and see if it doesn’t make you smile. Sing it out loud and make someone else smile. They may even think you are a little crazy!
For the first time in a long time, our attendance for Easter Masses was booming! We haven’t seen numbers like this since 2012 to be exact. Maybe people are tired of being isolated after two years, but I think there is something more at work, at least in my hometown. God is always at work behind the scenes, isn’t He?
This year, the seven Catholic Churches in our area are coming together to form one parish. Re-grouping is happening in all the churches in our Diocese and in dioceses all over the United States because of a lack of priests and a decline in Mass attendance, so it seems.
Hide It Under a Bushel- No!
But something wonderful is happening. All this talk about coming together as one parish family has awakened a sleeping giant. People are curious and when push comes to shove they want to keep their church open and going. They are coming back. Add to that 2 years of isolation and the doom and gloom news of war overseas and the time is ripe for evangelization! It’s time to engage and involve people in the life of the church! Let’s offer them some hope!
That’s why I am so excited. That’s why my light is shining bright. It’s time to light our candles and shine bright in a dark world. Because sometimes when hope seems lost, that’s when a little light emerges from underneath a bushel.
Don’t Let Satan Blow It Out
The devil would like nothing better than for us to stay silent and not light the candle of Christ within us. But don’t let him fool you. We are hope for a hurting world. We must let our light shine and the first step is to reconnect with Jesus. Just walk into a church some afternoon and reconnect with a good conversation with Jesus (and if you’re Catholic a good confession). Encourage your loved ones to come back to church. Talk with them about why they aren’t attending. Have some good, deep conversations. Invite them to go with you to church. Let your light shine. His light is in every one of us.
yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me.
Galations 2:20
Action Steps
You can look this song up on YouTube if you don’t know it. It’s a catchy little tune. Teach it to your children and grandchildren. Sing it to them and with them. Lift your index finger and let your light shine this Easter Season. There’s no time like the present. Get involved in your parish or church community. Let your light shine.
My candle is lit. It is burning bright. How about yours? Share it with friends and family. Let’s light up the world.
Thanks for following along. I appreciate you. God bless.–Barb
