A Light Is Lit in Order to Give Light (Romero)

A Christian community is evangelized in order to evangelize.
A light is lit
in order to give light.
A candle is not lit to be put under a bushel, said Christ.
It is lit and put up high
in order to give light.

That is what a true community is like.

A community is a group of men and women
who have found the truth in Christ and in his gospel, and who follow the truth
and join together to follow it more strongly.

It is not just an individual conversion, but a community conversion.
It is a family that believes,
a group that accepts God.

In the group, each one finds that the brother or sister is a source of strength
and that in moments of weakness they help one another and, by loving one another and believing,
they give light and example.

The preacher no longer needs to preach,
for there are Christians who preach by their own lives. I said once and I repeat today
that if, unhappily, some day they silence our radio and don’t let us write our newspaper,
each of you who believe
must become a microphone, a radio station,
a loudspeaker,
not to talk, but to call for faith.

I am not afraid that our faith may depend
only on the archbishop’s preaching; I don’t think I’m that important.

I believe that this message,
which is only a humble echo of God’s word, enters your hearts,
not because it is mine,
but because it comes from God.

Oscar Romer – OCTOBER 29, 1978