by Mr. Francis D'Souza
The Vision for 2006
The message was given by Mr. Francis D'Souza
To fulfill a vision :
- one must know the vision,
- one must understand what the vision is
- one must begin to put it into practice from the word go.
Year after year the Lord has been spelling out a vision to the prayer group through the core group which meets specially on 31st Dec. to discern the Lord's plan. As you know the vision for 2005 was based on Matthew 5:14. In this scripture the Lord gives us the privilege of being what he says of Himself in John. 8:12 “I am the light of the world”. The importance of this scripture is understood when we consider the situation of the world which is groping in darkness as a result of the multitude of sin. Also considering Romans 6: 23 the entire humanity was in the clutches of death. In this situation the declaration “I am the light of the world” from Jesus was not only a beacon of light but also a hope. This year the theme is based on John. 12:36 - “While you have the light / believe in the light / that you may be children of light”.
The importance of light can be seen from Genesis 1:3 which records the first words of God “Let there be light”. Light is the first of the creation. Lets look into the vision [John.12:36] which is divided into 3 parts –
(i) While you have the light: This means that Jesus is the light and that, that light would be taken away because of the death of Jesus.
(ii) Believe in the light: Jesus is the light of the world and the Messiah and we are called to put our faith and trust in Him.
(iii) That you may be children of light: We are called to be friends, followers and imitators of light. As also St. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 5:8 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light”.
Light represents the following:
(i) The presence of God because God is light.
(ii) Righteous activity.
(iii) Truth.
(iv) Goodness.
(v) Holiness.
(vi) Purity.
Along with the privilege of being the light of the world there also comes the responsibility to carry out the functions of light. Lets look at a few of them.
- Since I am the light of the world, I am different – as lights of the world we must remember that we are still in the world but not of the world. We will associate with people who may be still of the world and practicing the works of darkness but, we have to remember that we are not called to do the things they are doing just because we are associating with them. We have to remember that unity is not uniformity. I would like to share my testimony – I had many friends when I was a youth, and these very friends whom I mixed around with had all kinds of vices. Under normal circumstances I would be easily influenced by them, but being aware of the vision kept me from doing the things they were doing and this has preserved me even till today which makes my light to shine brighter.
- Since I am the light of the world, I am influential – because Jesus who said I am the light of the world has also said in Matthew 28:20 “I am with you always, even to the end of age”, and so the influence is always with me. Take the moon for example, it is thousands of miles away from the earth yet it has such a strong influence on the earth. Even though it is much smaller than the earth it controls the tides through its gravitational pull. Even though it does not have its own light it gives brightness to the earth, even when the sun is not shining on us. The moon could have said I am small, I am insignificant, I am unqualified, I have no light of my own. The lesson we draw from the moon is that it makes itself available and in the right place, and so it is able to reflect the light of the sun. In the same way we are called to be available not only to be “light receivers” but also to be “light reflectors”
- Since I am the light of the world, I am responsible – Jesus has appointed us to be evangelists Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...” and watchmen Ezekiel 3. Since I am the light I must give directions because light shows the way. In the Old Testament God led the people out of Egypt by a pillar of cloud by day and by a pillar of fire by night. In like manner through our righteous living and our walk in the light we must be able to show the right way.
- Since I am the light of the world, I must also be able to bring order in this chaotic world – as God did in Genesis 1:1, ff. Because of sin each and everyone have wondered and gone their own way as a result of which there is total chaos and confusion in the world. As light bearers we are called to stand at the cross roads and shine so as to prevent people from floundering just as the Light-House does to the ship sailing on the high seas.
Just yesterday (14th Feb.) we celebrated Valentine's Day which remind us of the role of love in marriage because the family is as strong as the marriage is. By being a good family we become a light to those around us. For this purpose romance must be kept going. Remember, as you did nearer to the marriage the Valentine's Day (14th Feb.), and not only 14th Nov. which is Childrens' Day.
Throw out the baskets of laziness, resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness, dishonesty, worry and fear because these will only mar your witness and so obstruct the out-shining of your light. Give in an honest day's work, doing the right things, not indulging in gossip and slander, not stepping in shady places and compromising areas, obeying the laws of the land (Income-Tax Returns). Know and obey God's word because that is the way in which light enters our life, read Psalm 119:105, 130.
Do what the word of God tells us in 1 John.1:7, John.3:19 – Walk in the light and do not stay away from the light. In conclusion remember the following actions:
Naughty boy's action : He was standing outside a house and flashing the light into the house with a small piece of mirror in his hands. When asked what he was trying to do, his reply was “I have a brother who is bed-ridden and the sunlight doesn't reach him, I am trying to reflect the sunlight to him with the help of this mirror”. Keep the surface clear.
Blind man's action : He was constantly carrying a lantern with him so that others may not dash into him.
Benjamin Franklin's action : He lived in a village which had no electricity and the entire village would be plunged in total darkness by night. This would pose a problem to the passers-by on the street where Franklin lived. So Franklin started hanging a lantern outside his house which would give light and help the passers-by walk down the street. On seeing this in a couple of days all the houses on that street started hanging lanterns outside their houses as a result of which the entire street was lit up.
Urgency of being the light : The condition of the world is deteriorating and the world is in darkness because of sin. We just have to read the news-papers to understand the gravity of the situation which talks about rape, murder, suicide, theft, etc. Also 2 Tim. 3 talks about the condition of the world. But what is most revealing are our Padre Pio's words “If the sin was to be converted into matter, it would form a cloud so thick that it would prevent sunlight from reaching the earth in the middle of the day”.