“It gives light to all in the house”
The Lord described his disciples’ mission as filling the world with light, being salt and light, carrying the good news of God’s love to the furthest confines of the earth. It is to this that all Christians must dedicate their life in one way or another… The grace of faith was not given us so as to remain hidden, but on the contrary, in order to shine before people…
Some will perhaps ask themselves how they can communicate this knowledge of Christ to others. I shall answer: with naturalness, with simplicity, by living exactly as you do in the midst of the world, devoted as you are to your professional work and to the care of your family, participating in all the noble aspirations of people, respecting the legitimate freedom of each person… Ordinary life can be holy and filled with God. The Lord calls us to sanctify our usual tasks, because that is also where Christian perfection dwells.
Let us not forget that almost all the days Mary spent on this earth were spent in a way very like the days of millions of other women who are also dedicated to their family, to the education of their children, to household tasks. All of that, which many wrongly consider to be insignificant and of no value, Mary sanctified even to the smallest detail… An ordinary blessed life, which can be so full of the love of God! For this is what explains the life of Mary: her love lived to the point of forgetting herself, completely happy as she was to be in her place where God wanted her. That is why her smallest gesture was never banal, but on the contrary, can be seen as full of meaning… It is up to us to try to be like her in the exact circumstances in which God wants us to live.