“Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket
or under a bed,
and not to be placed on a lampstand?
For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible;
nothing is secret except to come to light.
Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.”
We all are lamps with the light of Christ burning in our hearts and souls. We hide it under the pretext of being cool or getting along with neighborhood or as a friend of mine says “optics” . There is a saying in Hindi … “log kya kahenge” … translation =what will people say! Often in Indian / asian households, the concept of doing something out of the ordinary is met with this line!
Of course !People will talk but the problem is that it doesn’t matter – alot of time when I refused to perform abortions at hospitals , I was asked why – I was bargained with – called up for a price ! It was never so simple! I just didn’t want to do it ! I worked my way out of the system by shifting my sub specialty to oncology which gave me the freedom to practice my faith unapologetically.
Often we want to do something which is good for us but the peer pressure builds up so much that it is very hard to stick to our values and I am not a fan of forcing myself to do something that I am not comfortable with just cause I will be asked about it ! I have done it before as a doctor , a friend , daughter , relative or even a neighbor .. being forced to compromise my values cause the pressure to appear cooperative and helpful to others.
I want my lamp to be lit and kept on a stand but I don’t want to be made to feel apologetic about the choices I make like switching off my phone during Sunday mass or avoiding a conversation regarding fertility methods which are not natural or forced to attend an event where I am not comfortable with the crowd or the people!
This year has already moved to the second month and I feel so left behind! I want to be better at my work as an oncosurgeon and work harder as a christian living my faith!
What is burning in your lamp of faith that you want to share from the stand or have been hiding from the world! Be a proud catholic and set the world ablaze!
AMEN.
