Daily Meditation

(Source from “The Word Among Us”)

Your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:16)

How are our good deeds like a shining light? And why do they bring glory to God? A key to understanding Jesus’ words lies in today’s first reading from Isaiah.

The reading describes what have come to be called the corporal works of mercy: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, giving to the poor (Isaiah 58:7, 10). By performing these works, we imitate our heavenly Father, whose mercy knows no bounds. So when people see these “good deeds” (Matthew 5:16), they see how God loves them: with generosity, mercy, and faithfulness. We believe that God himself reaches out to people through our actions. He is helping us display a “family likeness” to him, and it points anyone who sees us back to him.

In a broader way, our works of mercy can also contribute toward the kind of society that reflects God’s priorities. How? The mercy we show people changes our own hearts. We see other people as beloved children of God, and that affects the way we act. And people notice. When, for instance, we sacrifice a night out so that we can give time or money to the needy, our corner of the world begins to look a little more like God’s kingdom. When his generosity starts to overcome our selfishness or materialism, we help the people around us see that something different, something better, is possible. And, as Isaiah says, our “light shall break forth like the dawn” (58:8).

What concrete ways can God show his mercy through you? Start at your parish. It likely has programs to serve the poor or reach out to those in need. Maybe you could work at a homeless shelter or even start an outreach like serving lunches at a soup kitchen. Get involved, and let the light of God’s likeness shine forth.

“Father, I want my actions to glorify you”