Monday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Luke 8:16-18

“… he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.”

The first two-thirds of today’s Gospel passage from Chapter 8 of Luke evoke another saying of Jesus:  “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” [John 8:12].  Jesus speaks in that verse both about Himself as “the light of the world” and also about the one who follows Him.

Today’s Gospel passage also speaks about both Christ and the one who follows Him.  Yet it’s focus is upon the action that the follower ought to take:  that is, placing the light on a lampstand “so that those who enter may see the light”.

In other words, this passage is not only about Christ and His follower, but also about those with whom the followers comes into contact.  In a word, this passage focuses upon “mission”.  The follower of Christ is someone who works so that the Light of Christ reaches others, illuminating them and the world around them.