1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a, Eph 5:8-14, Jn 9:1-41

GROW AS A DISCIPLE | PRAY, STUDY, ENGAGE, SERVE 

GROW: Five days, five minutes of sunshine: That’s how the city where I live greeted 2023. As the month wore on, the gloom seemed unrelenting with only momentary breaks in the clouds. When the sun did return, people posted photos on social media with a combination of joy and relief. That experience hints at the effect Jesus had on St. Paul and the early Christians. As he writes, “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” Today, just as then, Jesus brings light and healing to the darkness within us and within our world. Unlike the elusive sun, we can see the light of Jesus every day – in the people we love, the kindness of strangers, moments of prayer, unexpected joys. In turn, St. Paul encourages us to “live as children of light” by being the face of Jesus to others.