14 You are the light of the world.  A city built on a hill can not be hid.

15 No one after lighting a lamp puts its under the bushel basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter , not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.  19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  20 For I tell you , unless your righteousness exceeds that of this scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.

Let it shine , let it shine, let it shine.

Jesus had become  well known in the area where he was, with a multitude of people following him and his disciples.  Some were seeking miracles, some seeking his teachings.  As his following swelled,  Jesus came to a mountain.  He climbed it and addressed his followers, this being a place he could be assured of being seen and heard by everyone.  This is where our reading for today was born.

In Matthew Chapter 5  Verses 13-16 Jesus tells us we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  What does this mean to us as followers of Christ?  We as disciples of Christ are responsible for maintaining our faith and projecting it to others.  We must continue to emulate Christ in our lives and our works and not to succumb to sin which will diminish our spirit and in effect diminish the light of Christ inside of us. We aspire to keep our light, or spirit, burning brightly as a beacon to others so they may follow suit,  As examples of the light of the spirit of Christ we reject the temptation of sin and hold ourselves as examples of the love and goodness of the Lord.   If we allow our light to be dampened, we move away from the path that Jesus has placed us on.  Our duty as good Catholics, as faithful Christians, is to follow Christ’s example and to illuminate the way for others to follow.

Today, many find it  even tougher to keep their light burning brightly.  Work, family issues, school, and the pursuit of worldly goods often moves faith aside, effectively putting a basket over our light and hiding it from view.  Our faith is meant to be first priority in our lives.  Worshiping Christ and the sacrifice Jesus made for us, and abiding by his teaching is the foundation of our being.

Putting our trouble and trials at the feet of the Lord provides us with the ability to concentrate on our relationship with Jesus and work to be worthy of His salvation.

How do we do this? How do we keep our light and our taste for a Christ-like life? The answer is commitment.  As believers we commit to Christ and his teaching.  We must yearn for the word of the Lord as a child yearns for his mother we must hunger in thirst for the salvation Christ provided for us through his death and resurrection.  By living our lives by the word of God, we truly will become the beacon we are meant to be.  We must continually rededicate our lives to Christ to keep our light burning brightly for others to follow.  Our lives are our testament to our faith.  We more we give praise to the Lord, and the more we dedicate our lives to living the word, the more our light will shine.  The more we can live within the word of the Lord.  The light we exude will draw more people to the salvation Christ offers us.

We can accomplish this many ways.  Prayer, acts of love and charity to our fellow man and by preaching the gospel and living by its word can keep our light as bright as the brightest star.

This little light of mine I’m gonna let it shine.

Every day, every day, I’m gonna let my little light shine.

Dear Lord, we humbly ask you to guide our lives down the proper path and to allow your light to grow and shine within us.  We ask that you help us to remember to keep our faith first.  We also ask you to let us be beacons of your glory.  We ask this through you Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.