A Light Left On
Updated: Sep 7
“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning.”Luke 12:35
The room is empty now, or nearly empty. Yet the lamp stays on a little longer.
It is not strictly needed. Someone may still come back. Or the light is only a small sign that the place has not been shut and forgotten.
Jesus told his friends to keep their lamps burning. He meant that they should stay ready, and that they should not leave other people in the dark. A light left on is a modest mercy. It costs little. It can mean a great deal to the person who returns later than planned.
You do not have to sit awake beside it. You do not have to explain why it is still burning.
At Mass a small flame burns near the tabernacle when Christ is present there. It does not make a speech. It only says that this place has not been abandoned. We can leave a lamp on in the same spirit: for the latecomer, the restless sleeper, the one who still has to find their way back.
The light continues for a time. That is the gift.