This Little Light of Mine

No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.

Matthew  5:15

Last Sunday at Mass, the choir sang a beautiful version of This Little Light of Mine, with the addition of “Jesus gave it to me.”

I love that lyric that the choir director decided to include in the traditional folk song, which became a battle cry during the Civil Rights Movement. I belong to a Catholic parish that is wonderfully diverse and also predominantly African-American. So the while the song reminded me of Matthew 5;15, the song also carried additional meaning to some members of the congregation who undoubtedly lived through and grew up during the Civil Rights Movement.

Hours later, I could still hear the choir singing that song and that phrase, “Jesus gave it to…