Cardinal Tobin: Christ is the light of the nations

My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

When Mary was first invited to believe that she was full of grace and that the Lord was with her, she was challenged to accept a mystery and to trust that God had a plan for her and for the world. Mary’s openness and willingness to say “yes” despite doubt and confusion made her a model of faith.

When we struggle to discern what faith means for our lives, we should look to Mary. When we want to better understand how we, as missionary disciples of Jesus Christ, should act, we should remember her words to the servants at the Cana wedding feast, “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). For Christians, believing in and doing God’s word are essentially linked. We do what He commands because we believe that Jesus is Lord—the meaning of the world and of our lives.

The mystery we Christians are challenged to accept, as Mary did, is that Jesus Christ is the light that illuminates the darkness of our world. In his opening address at the Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals, January 7–8 (see selection below), Pope Leo XIV quoted the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Church:

Christ is the light of the nations and consequently this holy Synod, gathered together in the Holy Spirit, ardently desires to bring all humanity that light of Christ which is resplendent on the face of the Church, by proclaiming his Gospel to every creature (cf. Mk 16:15). Lumen Gentium 1.

Our mission as disciples of Jesus Christ is to make the light of Christ shine in our minds, hearts, and actions so that everyone we encounter has the opportunity to experience the joy of the Gospel.

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