God is always at work in our lives in ways we can never explain. This is the foundation of genuine Christian spirituality. We never come to realise it until something marvellous happens to us. I can never forget my experience one Sunday afternoon. I was travelling on a lonely road, far from home, and the engine of my car suddenly knocked. Alas, I stood there looking at the tragedy not exactly knowing what to do, and nightfall was gradually setting in.
When I was still confused and lost in thought, trying to wish it was a dream, there arrived a young man on a bike. He examined the vehicle with the eye of a professional and confirmed that the engine block was broken. Then I asked him who he was, and he told me he was a local mechanical worker (a mechanic, as we called people like him). He told me he was just on an evening leisurely ride and saw me from afar, as I was in my clerical attire. I was really astonished.
He gathered boys from the neighbourhood who pushed the car to the nearby village until the engine got replaced. I just marvelled how God sent His angel in human form to save me that evening. God’s presence comes in various modes. Sometimes, He so surprises us that we are left speechless. This state of mind made the psalmist of Psalm 126 cry with joy: when the Lord delivered Zion from bondage it seemed like a dream.
Experience of God’s Intervention
The first reading of today from Ezra 1:1-6 and the responsorial psalm (126:1-6) are based on the liberation of the Jews from exile in Babylon. For many years, the people had groaned in bondage. They wept, hoped, and prayed earnestly for liberation, but when it came it happened like a dream. They never imagined it would come through the instrumentality of a pagan like Cyrus the Great. He not only allowed the people to return to their homeland but more wonderfully decreed the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem.
Scholars have often wrestled with this incident and come up with many explanations. The psalmist sums it up when he says: “Our mouths were filled with laughter; our tongues sang for joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord had done great things for them.’ The Lord has done great things for us; Oh, how happy we were!” (Ps 126:2-3). The story, among other things, helps us to understand the unpredictable ways God intervenes to rescue His people. He uses all forms of instruments to favor those who hold Him dear. The Scriptural saying rings ever true: all things work together for good for those who love God (cf. Rom 8:28).
Called to Become Instruments of God’s Light
God used the Persian king to show His marvels to His people. In a similar way He uses us in various ways to make His light shine out to others. This is a central point in the Gospel of today from Luke 8:16-18. The lamp that is lighted and put on a lamp stand refers to the gifts with which God has endowed us. They cannot be hidden. They are meant to illumine others, to brighten their lives in diverse ways. We are called to become instruments of God’s goodness in the world. We radiate divine light, and this should shine out to others so that as they see it, they can give glory to God. Just as the psalmist breaks down in joyful song because of the liberation brought by God through Cyrus, in the same way we are called upon to shine out to others so that seeing our light they can cry out in joyful songs of praise to God.
