A Homily - The Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A)

A Homily - The Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A)

 

 First Reading – Isaiah 58:7-10 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 111(112):4-9 ©

Second Reading – 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 ©

Gospel Acclamation – John 8:12

The Gospel According to Matthew 5:13 - 16 ©

 

(NJB)

Listen.

Meditate on the scriptures and consider the meaning they express when they refer to the light of God; in this moment we should reflect on the School od Isaiah, as Jesus often did, and be mindful of these precepts:

Our light shines we it shine with the justice of God, the creator of the universe, our light shines when we are merciful; we are light when we communicate love and compassion, acting as servants to those who are in need, we shine with light in our humility.

Feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, care for the poor and clothe the naked, these acts will heal you from your own sin and sickness, they will heal you as light cures the cancer, shrinks the tumor that divides our hearts and in our minds, the material-disease, hoarding wealth to feed our greed.

When we are giving we are good, and God’s light shines through us like an unhooded lantern or a beacon on a hill, it shines in all directions signaling to those who see it that we are unafraid for we have made a dwelling in our hearts for God.

Uncurl the clenched fist; let the light shine.

Release the captive; let the light shine.

Be kind to the oppressed, see them all around us…know that not-one-of-us is free until our light shines’ we are prisoners of the world. Let it shine in the darkness and our shadow departs, shinning brightly above us as if we it were the sun at noon.

Let it shine and be mindful!

This is what the scriptures are speaking to when they preach to us about God’s light.

Consider the words of the psalmist who speaks to us of a just God, the good of infinite compassion.

We are destined for the divine, to nurtured by the Word; coming to fruition when the seed that was planted in us, sprouts and blossoms into God’s own self…not the image of God, but God’s fullness.

Be mindful!

Righteousness and compassion are their own reward, nothing extra comes to you from God in exchange for the good things you do; the way is not a lane of commerce.

 What is good and true does not require a letter of introduction; understand that a person’s past deeds are not necessarily a prelude to their future actions, the good may do ill, and the wicked may do good….take each day as it comes, be mindful of the present moment.

 The way is guarded nor are those who follow it suspicious of each other’s motives.

 We are all on the way, the way which excludes no-one. We are moving inexorably toward the source of all creation, all of us together: the cooperative and the recalcitrant, moving in wisdom toward the divine.

 Consider the Gospel for today and know that this: There are no guarantees in life.

 Listen to Jesus’ teachin; he understood the natural failings of human beings; he knew that same person could be salient and good in one moment, bitter and coercive in the next.

 Even the disciples, as close as they were to Jesus, even they were free from these propensities. Why would it be any different for the Christian man or woman who follows them two thousand years later…?

 It is no different.

 If you set out to teach, to be a light in the world…do it; live intentionally. 

 Be mindful of what Jesus said:

 A lamp…once lit, should be put on the lamp-stand, but still provide it constant attention; the oil must be replenished, the wick must be trimmed and replaced, the soot must be cleared from the vessel.

 If you intend to live your life as an exemplar of the way, you must be diligent, watchful, mindful of yourself and humble.

  

First Reading – Isaiah 58:7-10 ©

Then will your light shine like the dawn

Thus says the Lord:

Share your bread with the hungry, and shelter the homeless poor, clothe the man you see to be naked and do not turn from your own kin.

Then will your light shine like the dawn and your wound be quickly healed over.

Your integrity will go before you and the glory of the Lord behind you.

Cry, and the Lord will answer; call, and he will say, ‘I am here.’

If you do away with the yoke, the clenched fist, the wicked word, if you give your bread to the hungry, and relief to the oppressed, your light will rise in the darkness, and your shadows become like noon.

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 111(112):4-9 ©

The good man is a light in the darkness for the upright.

He is a light in the darkness for the upright:

  he is generous, merciful and just.

The good man takes pity and lends,

  he conducts his affairs with honour.

The good man is a light in the darkness for the upright.

The just man will never waver:

  he will be remembered for ever.

He has no fear of evil news;

  with a firm heart he trusts in the Lord.

The good man is a light in the darkness for the upright.

With a steadfast heart he will not fear;

open-handed, he gives to the poor;

  his justice stands firm for ever.

  His head will be raised in glory.

The good man is a light in the darkness for the upright.

Alleluia!

 

Second Reading – 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 ©

The Only Knowledge I Claimed Was of the Crucified Christ

When I came to you, brothers, it was not with any show of oratory or philosophy, but simply to tell you what God had guaranteed. During my stay with you, the only knowledge I claimed to have was about Jesus, and only about him as the crucified Christ. Far from relying on any power of my own, I came among you in great ‘fear and trembling’ and in my speeches and the sermons that I gave, there were none of the arguments that belong to philosophy; only a demonstration of the power of the Spirit. And I did this so that your faith should not depend on human philosophy but on the power of God.

 

Gospel Acclamation – John 8:12

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the light of the world, says the Lord; anyone who follows me will have the light of life.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 5:13 - 16 ©

Your Light Must Shine in the Sight of Men

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again? It is good for nothing, and can only be thrown out to be trampled underfoot by men.

‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.’

 

The Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A)