These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.

Saint Maurice & Companions, martyrs, September 22

Jesus said to the crowd: "No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.” (Lk 8:16-18)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092225.cfm
The early church passed a dark time of persecution (64-311), but the martyrs were a bright light shining in the darkness. Saint Maurice (250-287) and his companions were soldiers from Egypt. Maurice became a Christian and refused to participate in pagan rites of the military and refused to kill innocents. His witness to Christ won over the other soldiers of his legion, and they remained loyal to Maurice. They all were martyred for the faith.