Fifth Sunday of the Year February 05, 2023
Readings: Isaiah
58:7-10; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 5:13-16
In today’s gospel Jesus says to his disciples, “You are the
light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). But elsewhere in John 8:12 Jesus says of
himself, “I am the light of the world.” Who then is the light of the world,
Jesus or his followers? This apparent contradiction is resolved by another
passage in John 9:5 where Jesus modifies the statement about himself: “As long
as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” This shows that Jesus is
talking about the flesh and blood embodiment of the light. As long as he is
physically present in the world he is the light of the world, but when he is no
longer physically present his followers now assume the role of being the light
of the world.
Last Sunday we heard and reflected on the Beatitudes. Now
Jesus calls every one to be the living witnesses of faith. It tells how the Beatitudes must be lived in
our daily lives and how it is essential for the Christian disciple both to be
seen and heard. It is essential to know
that Christianity is not a private religion.
A Christian must have to have a vision and a mission. Christianity is a vision which is meant to
change the outlook of the world and bring the good news to all. A Christian has a mission to put the
teachings of Jesus and in particular the Beatitudes into practice. Jesus uses several images to express this
practical aspect: He wants his disciples to be the salt of the earth and wants
them to be the light to the world. Both
these elements have to fulfil their purpose namely to give taste to food and to
give enlightenment to people.
It is interesting to know the consequence of not fulfilling
the Christian task - being salt and light.
It tells us that if salt loses its taste, no one can restore its ability
to give taste to food or become a preservative.
Jesus says that it is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and
trampled underfoot. Technically salt never loses its saltiness, but it can be
contaminated through impurities and other pollutants. In other words, when we stop doing good
works, and are contaminated, then we are no longer worthy of being called the
disciples of Jesus. We are no longer
worthy of the eternal inheritance that awaits all those who persevere in their
living faith. Similarly, a light also
has its function to fulfill, namely to make things bright and give light to the
house. In the same way a Christian has
to shine before others. A Christian cannot but be the light of Christ.
Secondly, both salt and light operate by associating with
the thing that they want to change. Salt cannot improve the food unless it goes
into the food and changes it from within. But salt only produces its effect
when it is totally merged with the food.
It is indistinguishable from the rest of the food but its presence or
absence is very obvious. Light cannot
show the way unless it encounters the darkness. Sometimes Christians think that
the way to go is to keep away from getting involved with society and popular
culture. But by shying away from the realities of our society and our world we
might indeed be hiding our lamp under the bushel basket. To make a difference
we must get up and get involved.
Riches, power and control are valued highly in our world.
But Jesus draws on little things to teach deeper values. Salt preserves food:
in the hands of a skilled cook it adds flavour to food. But its work is hidden.
As salt of the earth we can be effective in bringing more taste to life for
others.
Light does not change a room: it enables us to see what is
in it. It helps us appreciate what is good and beautiful, just as it
facilitates avoiding pitfalls. We are children of the light: our lives are
illumined by Jesus, the light of the world (John 8:12). This light helps us to
see the hidden hope of glory that is in us. So we can rejoice even in the darkness
of the world.
Happy Sunday
👍👍👍👍👍
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