9 June 2020
Tuesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
Working with high school theatre, I often have to encourage first-time actors and actresses that they need to be more of a presence on stage. I reassure them that the best thing I can say is “take it down a notch,” and yet there is still hesitation. Why? Among the most common is that they do not trust their own gifts and abilities. If they have already been casted in a show, they are clearly talented, and yet plenty of new actors forget this reality: you are here because we want you here, because you have gifts. As they remember this reality, their confidence returns, and they are the presence we need on stage.
The same is true with us on the world’s stage. Jesus tells us that “your light must shine before others” (Mt. 5:16). There is no hemming or hawing: if we wish to serve the Lord, we must be more of a presence in the world. To the degree that we hesitate, it is often because we do not trust in our gifts—gifts which come from God. God has cast us in our roles here in this world, and He did not do so idly. He wants us here, and He gave us gifts. We must remember the gifts that God has given us, and be the presence so badly needed on the world stage.