Enlightening our churches

A very wealthy person built a new church high in the mountains. It was a very beautiful church, and all the neighbors went to see it when it opened officially. However, an older parishioner noticed that there were no lights, and when it got dark in the evening, the church was pitch dark. The wealthy man spoke in place of the pastor and told them: ‘We are giving a light bulb to each family, and when you come to church, bring it along and place it in one of the hundreds of sockets we left visible and accessible at eye level. If you don’t attend, your place will be left in the dark, and the more people attend, the more lit up the church would be. The parishioners got the message loud and clear, and were always present for Mass, even daily Mass. We can ask ourselves: how much are we enlightening our churches by our presence.