Leaving the light on: Women’s quiet, powerful gift for evangelizing
January 14, 2026 at 9:00 a.m.
One thing a writer learns is that their experiences in childhood offer a wealth of stories. One of my favorite memories is walking home from the bus on a winter evening in upstate New York. The only sound was the crunching of my boots on a snow-covered road, and the brightest light was the winter moon. But as I moved down the street another light became visible and warmed me even from a distance - the light in our living room window.
My mother left this light on every night, and another on the front porch, not so I could find my way home but so I would know, even before I got there, that our house was just that, home – a place of love and light and security; a harbor in every storm.
There is something deeply human – and deeply holy – about this simple act of leaving a light on. It is a gesture so small it rarely calls attention to itself, yet so full of meaning that it can comfort even the most weary heart. Leaving a light on for someone is saying without words, “I am thinking of you. I want you to come home safely. You matter to me.”
It is a simple, quiet act of love, a vigil of care reflective of the way women evangelize, though they may not realize it. Their evangelization is not always dramatic or public. It is the evangelization of presence, of warmth, of attentiveness to the needs of others. It is the kind of witness that feels like a lamp glowing in the window – a steady assurance that someone is holding space for you, even when you’re far away or not quite yourself.
Leaving the light on is more than a practical gesture; it is a proclamation of hope. A woman who keeps that light burning is, in a sense, keeping watch for the lost or wandering places in the hearts of those she loves. She creates an environment where others feel safe to return, safe to be seen, safe to be loved. This is evangelization at its most elemental – not forcing truth upon someone, but simply making room for them to encounter goodness, to encounter the love of God.
There is something uniquely Marian about this way of evangelizing. Women often have an intuitive sense for the unseen emotional landscapes around them. They notice when someone might need reassurance, comfort, or a reminder that they belong. Their evangelization is incarnational – rooted in daily life, in the details that make a home feel like a refuge. It mirrors the tenderness of God, who does not coerce but invites, who illuminates the path rather than pushing or pulling us along.
When a woman leaves the light on, she is offering more than physical light. She is offering a living symbol of the Gospel, something Jesus did every day, inviting people in with the promise that love waits, love welcomes, love remains.
In this simple act, a woman becomes a quiet evangelist – showing Christ’s love not through speeches or arguments, but through the steady glow of compassion. She teaches that evangelization can be as gentle as a lamp in the darkness, and just as powerful. She teaches that strength does not require volume. True evangelization often begins in the stillness of listening, in the humility of accompaniment, and in the courage to offer hope where despair has settled.
Women have long demonstrated this truth. They carry stories that encourage resilience, model faithfulness, and keep communities connected. Many serve as moral anchors when times are confusing, as encouragers when spirits falter, and as bearers of wisdom passed from generation to generation. They model Mary, who did all these things as she accompanied Jesus throughout his life, and his disciples after his death.
This quiet gift is not the result of softness, weakness, or passivity. It is the quiet of a steady flame – one that doesn’t shout for attention, but that banishes darkness simply by being what it is. Women bring this kind of evangelizing light into spaces where formal preaching might never reach – within families, among friends, in workplaces, and in the countless interpersonal connections that fill our daily lives.
In a world hungry for authenticity and weary of noise, the quiet, powerful evangelization of women stands as a gentle but persistent reminder – light doesn’t need to be glaring, it simply needs to illuminate the dark places of life and reach hearts that may otherwise remain in the shadows. Women’s evangelization is not always recognized, but it is always real. It is the kind of power that changes people and, quietly, steadily, changes the world. It is Mary’s power, and ours, as well.
Mary Morrell is editor-in-chief of The Catholic Spirit, the Metuchen Diocesan newspaper.
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Wednesday, January 14, 2026
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One thing a writer learns is that their experiences in childhood offer a wealth of stories. One of my favorite memories is walking home from the bus on a winter evening in upstate New York. The only sound was the crunching of my boots on a snow-covered road, and the brightest light was the winter moon. But as I moved down the street another light became visible and warmed me even from a distance - the light in our living room window.
My mother left this light on every night, and another on the front porch, not so I could find my way home but so I would know, even before I got there, that our house was just that, home – a place of love and light and security; a harbor in every storm.
There is something deeply human – and deeply holy – about this simple act of leaving a light on. It is a gesture so small it rarely calls attention to itself, yet so full of meaning that it can comfort even the most weary heart. Leaving a light on for someone is saying without words, “I am thinking of you. I want you to come home safely. You matter to me.”
It is a simple, quiet act of love, a vigil of care reflective of the way women evangelize, though they may not realize it. Their evangelization is not always dramatic or public. It is the evangelization of presence, of warmth, of attentiveness to the needs of others. It is the kind of witness that feels like a lamp glowing in the window – a steady assurance that someone is holding space for you, even when you’re far away or not quite yourself.
Leaving the light on is more than a practical gesture; it is a proclamation of hope. A woman who keeps that light burning is, in a sense, keeping watch for the lost or wandering places in the hearts of those she loves. She creates an environment where others feel safe to return, safe to be seen, safe to be loved. This is evangelization at its most elemental – not forcing truth upon someone, but simply making room for them to encounter goodness, to encounter the love of God.
There is something uniquely Marian about this way of evangelizing. Women often have an intuitive sense for the unseen emotional landscapes around them. They notice when someone might need reassurance, comfort, or a reminder that they belong. Their evangelization is incarnational – rooted in daily life, in the details that make a home feel like a refuge. It mirrors the tenderness of God, who does not coerce but invites, who illuminates the path rather than pushing or pulling us along.
When a woman leaves the light on, she is offering more than physical light. She is offering a living symbol of the Gospel, something Jesus did every day, inviting people in with the promise that love waits, love welcomes, love remains.
In this simple act, a woman becomes a quiet evangelist – showing Christ’s love not through speeches or arguments, but through the steady glow of compassion. She teaches that evangelization can be as gentle as a lamp in the darkness, and just as powerful. She teaches that strength does not require volume. True evangelization often begins in the stillness of listening, in the humility of accompaniment, and in the courage to offer hope where despair has settled.
Women have long demonstrated this truth. They carry stories that encourage resilience, model faithfulness, and keep communities connected. Many serve as moral anchors when times are confusing, as encouragers when spirits falter, and as bearers of wisdom passed from generation to generation. They model Mary, who did all these things as she accompanied Jesus throughout his life, and his disciples after his death.
This quiet gift is not the result of softness, weakness, or passivity. It is the quiet of a steady flame – one that doesn’t shout for attention, but that banishes darkness simply by being what it is. Women bring this kind of evangelizing light into spaces where formal preaching might never reach – within families, among friends, in workplaces, and in the countless interpersonal connections that fill our daily lives.
In a world hungry for authenticity and weary of noise, the quiet, powerful evangelization of women stands as a gentle but persistent reminder – light doesn’t need to be glaring, it simply needs to illuminate the dark places of life and reach hearts that may otherwise remain in the shadows. Women’s evangelization is not always recognized, but it is always real. It is the kind of power that changes people and, quietly, steadily, changes the world. It is Mary’s power, and ours, as well.
Mary Morrell is editor-in-chief of The Catholic Spirit, the Metuchen Diocesan newspaper.