FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)
Light Should Shine: Salt Should Make Tasty
What is striking in today’s message is how much trust Christ puts in us, perhaps more than we do in him. He entrusts to us the mission of being his light shining in the world, the salt that preserves and spices the world with the aroma of the Gospel, the mission of being a city of light that attracts people to the Lord. What a responsibility! Today, let us ask Jesus to kindle his light in us.
Reading 1 Is 58:7-10
“This is the kind of fast day I’m after:
to break the chains of injustice,
get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
free the oppressed,
cancel debts.
What I’m interested in seeing you do is:
sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’
“If you get rid of unfair practices,
quit blaming victims,
quit gossiping about other people’s sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
firm muscles, strong bones.
You’ll be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,
restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again.
Reading 2 1 Cor 2:1-5
You’ll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God’s sheer genius, I didn’t try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did—Jesus crucified.
3-5 I was unsure of how to go about this, and felt totally inadequate—I was scared to death, if you want the truth of it—and so nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God’s Spirit and God’s power did it, which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God’s power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else.
Gospel Mt 5:13-16
“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
14-16 “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
Prayer
Loving Father,
we are important to you,
for you keep entrusting to us the mission
of making your name and your love known.
Strengthen us in our weakness,
make us savor the message of the Gospel,
that in the footsteps of your Son Jesus
we may bring your light and taste to the world
and carry out this task with great joy.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
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Reflection:
5 February 2023
Matthew 5:13-16
Salt of the earth and light of the world
In today’s Gospel, Jesus uses a series of images to define the disciples and their mission. He shows them primarily as the salt of the earth (v. 13).
The rabbis of Israel used to say: “The Torah—the holy Law given by God to his people—is like salt and the world cannot live without salt.” Jesus applies this image to describe his disciples and creates a provocative statement. He does not deny that the sacred Scriptures are “salt of the earth,” but says if his disciples assimilate his word and be guided by the wisdom of the beatitudes, they too will be salt of the earth.
The image indicates that the disciples must bring to the world a wisdom capable of giving flavour and meaning to life. Without the knowledge of the Gospel, our lives, joys and sorrows, smiles and tears, celebrations or mourning would be of no meaning.
Salt is also used to preserve food, to prevent them from becoming damaged. Jesus assigns us to be the salt of the earth: with our presence in the world, we are called upon to prevent corruption, not to allow humanity be driven by wicked principles to rot and go into decay.
In a world where debauchery, hatred, violence, and oppression are regarded normal, a Christian as the salt has the responsibility add the flavour of Gospel values. In a world where the inviolability of human life from its beginning to its natural end is doubted, where abortion, killings, drugs and substance abuse destroy humanity, a disciple of Christ is salt who reminds of the sacredness of life. Where sexuality, cohabitation, and adultery are trivialized, there the Christian reminds of the holiness of God’s plan for marital love. Where one seeks one’s own advantage, of the heroic proposal of Jesus for the gift of self.
The “parable” of the salt ends with a call to the disciples not to become “tasteless.” Jesus warns his disciples against the danger of losing their flavour. When we fail to be add taste to the lives of people around us through our wrong witnessing, we make the Gospel lose its flavour.
The second function assigned to the disciples is that of being a city set on a hill and to be
the light of the world.” Light is the first of God’s creation: “Let there be light!” Calling his disciples “light of the world” Jesus declares that the mission entrusted by God to Israel was now destined to continue through the disciples of Jesus.