The Little Mirror of Light
On the first Sunday of Lent in Maple Street, Rosa noticed a small table by the family’s front door.
Mom had covered it with a purple cloth and placed one special thing on top: a tiny mirror, propped up like a picture frame.
“No touching,” Dad said with a grin. “This is our Lenten Table. Each week, we add an object that teaches us about Jesus without words. These are silent homilies.”
Rosa leaned close. Light shone off the mirror, so it looked like it was glowing.
“What’s it for?” Leo asked.
“Sometimes we forget God is bigger than our worries,” Mom said. “This week’s Gospel is about Jesus going up a mountain and shining with God’s glory. This mirror is shiny too.”
That afternoon, Rosa and Leo built their own mountain from couch cushions. They climbed to the top and sat very still.
At first, it felt silly. Then the house grew quiet, the kind of quiet that feels like listening. Rosa could even hear the clock tick.
Rosa thought about school. She worried she wasn’t good at reading out loud. Leo worried he’d never learn to whistle. The worries felt heavy, like rocks in their pockets.
Dad came in, saw their mountain, and whispered, “Want a secret?” He held up the little mirror from the Lenten Table.
“It doesn’t make light by itself,” he said. “It only reflects light.”
He tilted it toward the window. A bright spot of sunlight jumped onto the wall, like a tiny star that danced when Dad laughed.
Rosa gasped. “So, it’s not the mirror being shiny,” she said. “It’s the sun!”
“Exactly,” Mom said. “Jesus shines His love on us. And when we stay close to Jesus, we can reflect His light too; at school, at home, anywhere.”
All week, the mirror stayed on the table. When Leo stomped in angry, he saw the mirror and took a breath. When Rosa felt nervous, she glanced at the mirror and remembered: God’s light is stronger than her fear.
On Saturday, Rosa taped a note beside it: JESUS, LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE THROUGH ME.
From the Lenten Table Series, inspired by Matthew 17:1-9 (The Transfiguration of Jesus).
