Sunday 8 February 2026
Lectio Divina:*
Meditatio:
“let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works
and give glory to your Father in heaven.’’ (Matthew 5:16)
Commentary:
Have you ever wondered
how certain people you meet seem to light your way? They appear for a moment,
illuminate something you needed to see, and then move on. Longfellow captured
this beautifully:
Ships that pass in
the night, and speak each other in passing,
Only a signal shown and a distant voice in the darkness;
So on the ocean of life we pass and speak one another,
Only a look and a voice, then darkness again and a silence.
(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Tales of a Wayside Inn, part 3, section 4)
We, too, can be lights
for one another in a world that often feels dark—not by steering other people’s
ships or dictating their course, but simply by shining. Sometimes the light we
give is nothing more than a glimpse of a path someone else can choose to
follow. And that is enough.
So much for the
personal metaphor. What of the political and social world we inhabit? On 3 August 1914, Sir
Edward Grey, the British Foreign Secretary, observed:
“The lamps are
going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.”
A sense of dread hung
over Europe that August of 1914, even as governments whipped up patriotic
fervour. Ireland was no exception. Both major traditions on this island were
swept up, each in their own way, in that same fevered nationalism.
Today, a similar
pessimism shadows Europe and much of the world. While 1914 and 2017 cannot be
directly compared, certain patterns echo across the century: a nationalism that
defines itself by exclusion as much as identity; rivalry and distrust among global
powers; economic uncertainty; and a profound shock to the systems that once
governed trade, investment, and the movement of people. Fear drives people to
close ranks—we alone, or worse, we above all others. What leads
individuals and nations into such self‑destructive postures? Why does hatred
take root so easily?
Perhaps that is why
the song Where Is the Love? by the Black Eyed Peas continues to
resonate.
But if you only
have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah
Madness is what you demonstrate
And that's exactly how anger works and operates
Man, you gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love, y'all, y'all
People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach?
Or would you turn the other cheek?
Father, Father, Father help us
Send some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love
Its lament and its
challenge cut through the noise of our age. It names the violence, the
prejudice, the misinformation, the loss of shared values—and it asks,
insistently, where love has gone. It is a question as old as humanity and as
urgent as ever.
Which brings us back
to this Sunday’s Gospel: Matthew 5:13-16, following immediately after the
Beatitudes.
At the end of our
lives, we will be able to look back and recognise the lights that guided
us—people through whom God’s light shone, like stained‑glass windows catching
the sun. And if we ourselves have been a light to others, it will not be
because we strained to shine, but because we removed the shutters and allowed
the light already within us to be seen.
To be children of
light is not an achievement but a gift. It is one thing to admire the
Beatitudes; it is quite another to live them. Yet blessing begets blessing.
Beatitude means blessedness. Living in that blessedness opens us to more life,
more joy, more fullness.
Why settle for
anything less?
Oratio
Collect
of the Word (Church of Ireland)
God
of the living, with all your creatures great and small we sing your bounty and
your goodness, for in the harvest of land and ocean, in the cycles of the
seasons, and the wonders of each creature, you reveal your generosity. teach us
the gratitude that dispels envy, that we may honour each gift as you cherish
your creation, and praise you in all times and places. Amen
Footnotes
*
These readings are taken from the Sunday lectionary used in most
Catholic churches. The source is BibleGateway.com:
A searchable online Bible in over 150 versions and 50 languages (using
the New Revised Standard Version - anglicised catholic edition). Psalms in this
Blog are numbered according to the Hebrew (Masoretic) text with the Greek
Septuagint/Vulgate numbering in parenthesis where applicable.
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