We can only let our light shine before others when we first let the face of the Lord shine on us
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Here are three things that happen this week:
1) We celebrate the feast of Mary, Mother of the Church — always the first day after Pentecost.
2) We re-enter Ordinary Time — for the first time since March 4.
3) We hear some version of the term “shine” about a dozen times in the readings.
The Church Fathers would say that “the Church begins in the womb of Mary.” That’s an insight worth unpacking!
The Church is sometimes called the (mystical) body of Christ. But the body of Christ originates in the womb of Mary. In that sense, the Fathers reasoned, the Church itself begins in the womb of Mary. That makes Mary “the Mother of the Church.” And when God gives a grace like that, He builds on it, rather than taking it away. So, Mary continues to be the Mother of the Church for all time.
The Church Fathers also likened Mary to the moon, in the sense that both shine by reflected light: The moon reflects the light of the sun, and Mary reflects the light of the Son. In that sense, Mary is a great example for us, as we hear the exhortation to “Shine like lights in the world, as you hold on to the word of life” (Philippians 2:15-16).
Finally, Mary is also an intercessor for us. We don’t shine purely, as she did. But it’s God’s desire that we will one day get there! Thankfully, we can count on her prayers as our mother in holiness.
The Gospel readings this week all come from Matthew 5. One of the things that Jesus says to His disciples — and to us — is: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden … your light must shine before others.”
Let’s look at something that comes before that and something that comes after.
A key thing that comes before that is Psalm 119 — it is, literally, read right before that on June 10! The refrain is: “Lord, let your face shine on me.” There’s that “moon” theme again! We can only let our light shine before others when we first let the face of the Lord shine on us.
A key thing that comes after that was beautifully articulated by Pope Leo XIV in his first homily. Addressing the cardinals after his election, he spoke of the papacy as a treasure that had been entrusted to him, a treasure that was meant to help the mystical body of the Church “be ever more fully a city set on a hill, an ark of salvation sailing through the waters of history and a beacon that illumines the dark nights of this world.” There it is again — that same theme of “shining.”
So, how can we shine? We celebrate the feast of St. Anthony of Padua on June 13. Living in tumultuous times, this Franciscan saint was known as “the hammer of heretics.” Now, that immediately conjures up images of destroying someone in a political argument. But we’re told that St. Anthony’s sermons were notable “for their learning and gentleness.” That’s not how we think of a hammer! But maybe that’s the point: Maybe we need to rethink our notion of a hammer.
Let’s turn to Mary and to St. Anthony to teach us how to shine with reflected light.
