The lamp

The lamp
 
We would talk for hours and sometimes there were long moments of silence. These catchists’ meetings, in the parishes where I worked in Fiji, were memorable, not so much for what we talked about but simply because of the experience of being in the presence of deeply committed people who served their various village communities. They led the Sunday services, conducted funerals and prepared parents and children for baptism, confirmation and eucharist. Their work was totally voluntary. They were farmers or fishermen who provided for themselves and their families out of their own labour. Getting back to those long hours after the meetings when we just chatted together. Often enough these meetings took place in villages which had no electricity or relied upon a generator up until a certain hour. For the most part we relied on hurricane lamps which were often placed on the floor or set up on a table. As the light began to dim, someone would ask permission to pump the lamp so that it would come alive again. It is an image that helps me to appreciate the teaching of Jesus in today’s gospel (Mark 4:21-25) where he speaks about the purpose of bringing a lamp into a house. Surely it is not for the purpose of hiding it under the bed. It helps us to see one another and to hear one another, especially when all is not going well. We all struggled to live out our faith and oftentimes we failed, failed to live up to our faith and our commitment to our families and to one another. But we tried not to retreat into the shadows or the darkness. We trusted in one another, trusted that the others would understand, trusted in their support, trusted in the forgiveness of the community when I did not live up to my responsibilities. We each gave of what we had and were grateful for the appreciation and understanding of our sisters and brothers, usually family members. The more you gave you the more you got back in return. If you held back, there was the danger that you may find yourself retreating so far back into the shadows that all that was left was darkness and despair. Let us pray that we can always find the courage and trust to be willing to step into the light so that we can let that light radiate throughout our lives and bring comfort and hope to others.
 
Tom Rouse