Recently, after “springing forward,” I was driving to morning Mass in the dark. I was feeling sleep-deprived and missing the beautiful sunrise I love each morning on my way when Phil Collin’s 1989 song, Another Day in Paradise, came on the radio. This particular morning, I paid close attention to the lyrics and realized this song is a prayer for all of us.
The song has been repeated thousands of times while driving or playing music as background noise in my office or home. Yet, this early morning in the dark, it was as though I was hearing the message for the first time.
The song begins with a woman calling out to a man passing by, asking him to help her as it is cold and she has nowhere to sleep. The man ignores her and actually crosses the street to avoid her, pretending that he didn’t hear her. The lyrics remind us that we must think twice as we live in paradise, and it is easy to “cross the street” and avoid the homeless.
The Responsorial Psalm, “The Lord hears the cry of the poor,” is repeated five times in today’s Mass, and in the Gospel, we are called to live in the light. I find it ironic that on a dark morning drive, I was reminded of the light of Christ in a 35-year-old song with a message to listen to the cry of the poor. Not only listen but “think twice”!
In our ROLA #2, we are called to live the mystery of the Eucharist and to make known its meaning…we strive to influence our world in the light of this Mystery, Source, and Summit of all Evangelizing. Today, let us challenge ourselves to be that LIGHT of Christ for others.
Listen to Phil Collin’s great ballad at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt2mbGP6vFI
Prayer:
God, you so loved the world that you gave us your only-begotten Son so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but have eternal life. Thank you for this ultimate gift of Light. Let me be your light for those who are experiencing darkness today. Amen.