It takes constantly working to open one's eyes," says Bishop Hughes. "It takes looking sometimes at really difficult things – things that hurt. It takes being willing to disagree with others. And being committed to telling the truth – and the truth based on facts and science and history – a truth that is actually real. When we open our eyes to the complicated things, to the hard parts of the truth, then we can also open our eyes to see what God is trying to do in the complicated parts of our lives."
Video Transcript
This is Bishop Hughes in the Diocese of Newark. And I am wondering what God has for all of us to see in this season of Epiphany. We celebrated the start of this season with the feast day a week and a half ago. And this week as we continue into the season of Epiphany – this season of light, the season of God revealing God's self to us in the form of Jesus Christ, this season where God helps us to see with eyes wide open what God is trying to do in the world and in our own lives – we started this week of that season with remembering the life and ministry of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King.
We spent time with our eyes open seeing the passion that he had for those who are oppressed. We spent time with our eyes open seeing his energetic leadership and committed leadership of the Civil Rights movement. We see with our eyes open the dream that he had for every single American. And we can't help but wonder when we see all those things how might God be calling us? What might God have for us to do in this world? How are we to see?
It takes constantly working to open one's eyes. It takes looking sometimes at really difficult things – things that hurt. It takes being willing to disagree with others. And being committed to telling the truth – and the truth based on facts and science and history – a truth that is actually real. When we open our eyes to the complicated things, to the hard parts of the truth, then we can also open our eyes to see what God is trying to do in the complicated parts of our lives.
It's hard to do that when we hide from it. It's hard to do it with our eyes shut. It's hard to do it when we look away. But the good news is, even if we don't have the kind of clarity of vision that Martin Luther King, Jr. had, even if we don't have a passion that is as deep for our brother or our sister or our neighbor, even if we don't see ourselves as the kind of committed and energetic leader that he was – the truth is God didn't ask us to be him. God created us to be us.
And if we open our eyes and we ask for God's help and step out in faith into a complicated world with complicated facts and history and data that require the best of our thinking and all of our compassion, an abundance of love – that if we step out in faith with that we will meet Jesus there.
It takes opening our eyes. The light is on. Epiphany continues.
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