Is 58:7-10
1 Cor 2: 1-5
Mt 5:13-16
In all of our Marianist schools we foster the idea of "modeling" or "mentoring." We spend countless hours encouraging our teachers to follow their mentors when they first begin teaching. Even our students learn the valueable lessons of mentoring from an older and wiser student. But what does it mean for you and me to be model or mentor Christians? Although mentors or teachers may often appear to be elevated to "upfront" positions, genuine mentors do not try to be "stars." The role of the Christian mentor is that of a lamp, helping illumine the pathway that lies directly at his or her student's feet, offering guidance and service in indirect, even pedestrian ways.
As a child, we all loved to sing "This little light of mine ... I'm going to let it shine ...."? The only problem with that song is that it focused exclusively on the single beam of light emitted by our small singular lights. Jesus wanted us to think corporately about the illuminating power he generates in each of us. The "city built on a hill" is not noticed because one lone light flickers in a window. It is the combined wattage of an array of lights, each burning in its own place, but for a common purpose, that sets the city ablaze in the midst of a dark and dreary night. George Bush may have said more than he realized when he touted the "thousand points of light" theme.
As disciples of Christ, "lights of the world," we have been "fully qualified." Instead, we need only let our lamps shine, that others may see and find the way, the truth and the life.
