Gospel Reading: Mark 4:21-25
Is a lamp “placed under a bushel basket or under a bed?” Of course not, for the open flame of an ancient lamp would risk the fiery destruction of these tools of work and rest. We must allow God’s Word to enlighten our toil and leisure, rather than try to suppress the Light in pursuits of profit and pleasure. Otherwise, “from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
A Symbol for “Christ”
The Jewish people awaited God’s anointed one (or in Hebrew, “Messiah,”) a priest, prophet, and king who would lead and save them. Jesus, anointed by the Holy Spirit and God the Father’s favor, was that promised Messiah. In Greek, the word for “anointed one” is “Christos,” spelled “ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ.” (Thus, “Christ” is not Jesus’ last name, but rather his title.) The Chi-Rho symbol merges the first two letters of this Greek word as a symbol for “Christ.”
Parishable Items 