5th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Cycle A)
Readings:
Isaiah 58:7-10
Psalm 112:4-8a, 9
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Matthew 5:13-16
Abbreviations: NABRE (New American Bible Revised Edition), NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), IBHE (Interlinear Bible Hebrew-English), IBGE (Interlinear Bible Greek-English), or LXX (Greek Septuagint Old Testament translation). CCC designates a citation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The word LORD or GOD rendered in all capital letters is, in the Hebrew text, God's Divine Name YHWH (Yahweh).
The two Testaments reveal God's divine plan for humanity, which is why we read and relive the events of salvation history contained in the Old and New Testaments in the Church's Liturgy. The Catechism teaches that the Liturgy reveals the unfolding mystery of God's plan as we read the Old Testament in light of the New and the New Testament in light of the Old (CCC 1094-1095).
The Theme of this Sunday's Readings: Christians Living in
the Image of Christ Bring Light to the World
The mission of God's covenant people has always been to be a
"light" of hope to a world darkened by sin (First Reading). That mission
continues for New Covenant members of the earthly Kingdom of Jesus Christ. In all
aspects of their lives, they must remain distinctively Christ-like. If
Christians become indistinguishable from non-Christians, the Church has lost her
distinctive call to lost souls to come out of the dark, sinful influences of
the world and into the "light" of Christ. Christians must transform the world
without the world leaving its mark on them. Preserving the uniquely Christian
character of the Church as passed down to us by Jesus Christ is the call of
Christian discipleship, responsibility, and obedience.
In the First Reading, the prophet Isaiah reminds the covenant people of their obligations under the Law of the Sinai Covenant to be responsible for seeing to the needs of the poor and oppressed. God commanded that there be no poor among them, and everyone, even strangers, must be treated justly (Ex 23:6-11; Lev 9:10, 18; 23:22; 25:35; Dt 15:4-11). The reward for such obedience is God's promise of blessings in that righteous person's time of need.
The Responsorial Psalm praises the blessed life of the righteous person who demonstrates the attributes of God, which are graciousness, mercy, and justice. God shines in the life of a righteous person like a light that disburses darkness. He will pardon the sins of the person who gives alms to the poor and serves as an example of righteousness to others.
In the Second Reading, St. Paul wrote to the Christian community in Corinth, Greece. He told them he came to proclaim Christ crucified, guided by the Holy Spirit. Just as St. Paul wrote that his preaching to the Corinthians did not rely on worldly eloquence, we must not base our faith and the practice of our Christian beliefs on human wisdom and the secular worldview. Instead, Paul wrote that he preached "Christ crucified" and based his message on a demonstration of Spirit and power, a reference to the action of the divine grace of God the Holy Spirit on those who listened to Paul's message with an open heart.
Our Gospel reading continues with Jesus's Sermon on the Mount in Matthew Chapters 5-7. The Beatitudes in Matthew 5:2-12 outline the steps necessary to achieve spiritual perfection. Today's Gospel message offers a teaching on the application of that perfection. Our passage focuses on two opposing forces: the righteous believer/the Church versus the unrighteous/the world. Jesus commanded that Christians live the Beatitudes for the good of a world that opposes God-given values and beliefs. He approached this teaching using the two useful and practical metaphors of salt and light.
If the Christian is the salt that preserves, purifies, and improves the world and the light that enlightens humanity, then those attached to the secular world contribute nothing to purify the world and live in darkness. They are unlike Christians who share the light of Christ, which has the transforming power of goodness to illuminate the world. Jesus tells us it is the faithful New Covenant believer who will save the world through the preserving salt of faith and will provide the internal light that guides hearts and souls out of the darkness of sin and despair and into the "light" of Jesus Christ and His promise of eternal salvation.
The First Reading Isaiah 58:7-10
7 Thus says the LORD: Share your bread with the hungry,
shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and
do not turn your back on your own. 8 Then your light shall break forth like the
dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; your vindication shall go before
you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call,
and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am. 10
If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation, and malicious
speech; if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then
light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like
midday.
The prophet Isaiah reminded the covenant people of their obligations under the Law of the Sinai Covenant to be responsible for the needs of the poor and the oppressed. God commanded that there be no poor among them and that everyone, even strangers, must be treated justly (Ex 23:6-11; Lev 9:10, 18; 23:22; 25:35; Dt 15:4-11). The reward for such obedience is God's promise of blessings in that righteous person's time of need. The inspired writer of Sirach gave the same encouragement for providing for the poor and wrote that one of those blessings is that almsgiving expiates sins (Sir 3:30-31/33-34). The basis of the obligation to care for the needy is in the Ten Commandments, commanding the faithful to love God and his neighbor. If we love God, we will obey Him, and if we love our neighbor, we will share God's love with those in need of love and material comfort (Lev 19:18; Dt 6:5 and Mt 22:34-40).
Jesus gave the same teaching in Matthew 25:31-46 when He spoke of the promise of eternal life for those righteous persons who exercised acts of mercy but eternal judgment for those who did not. Jdidesus listed six unfortunate conditions and six acts of compassion in response to those conditions:
Jesus equated those acts of compassion for the unfortunate with acts of love extended to Him and ignoring the opportunity to respond with deeds of mercy to withholding one's love from Him (verses 35-36 and 42-43). Jesus's message concerning humanity's relationship with Him is this: If you truly love your Savior, you will express your love for Him through acts of compassion to those in need of love and compassion.
The Church lists the kind acts described in Matthew 25:35-36 among "the works of mercy" (CCC 2447). The Church imitates Christ's love for the poor and oppressed as "part of her constant tradition" (CCC 2444). St. John Chrysostom reminded his congregation that all the material blessings we enjoy are from God, and we should not look upon them as ours alone: "Not to enable the poor to share in our goods is to steal from them and deprive them of life. The goods we possess are not ours, but theirs" (Homilies in Lazaro, 2.5).
Responsorial Psalm 112:4-5, 6-7, 8a, 9 ~ The Just Man and
Woman
The response is: "The just man is a light in darkness to the
upright," or "Alleluia."
4 Light shines through the darkness for the upright; he
is gracious and merciful and just. 5 Well for the man who is gracious and
lends, who conducts his affairs with justice.
Response:
6 He shall never be moved; the just man shall be in
everlasting remembrance. 7 An evil report he shall not fear; his heart is firm,
trusting in the LORD.
Response:
8a His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear. 9 Lavishly
he gives to the poor; his justice shall endure forever; his horn shall be
exalted in glory.
Response:
The psalmist praises the blessed life of the righteous person. God shines in the life of an upright person like a light dispelling darkness (verse 4a). In Scripture, "darkness" is always a metaphor for sin. The righteous person demonstrates the attributes of God (Ex 34:6), which are graciousness, mercy, and justice (verse 4). Because the just person gives alms to the poor, God will pardon his sins, and his acts of goodness will be honored by others (verses 5 and 9). This same teaching appears in our first reading (and also in Prov 19:17, Tob 4:7-11, and Sir 3:30-31/33-34). Finally, the psalmist proclaims that such a person has nothing to fear, and God will exalt his "horn," a symbol of strength (verse 9).
St. Paul quoted verse 9 from the LXX (Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament) when he collected alms for the poor Christians of the Jerusalem church. He exhorted the Christian communities in Greece to be generous in providing aid to the poor Christians in Jerusalem: And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. As it is written, "He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever" (2 Cor 9:8-9). Paul's exhortation is a reminder for us when we have the opportunity to provide aid to the poor. It is an act of mercy that will help to atone for our sins (Sir 3:30-31/33-34) and a win-win opportunity!
The Second Reading 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
1 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming
the mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. 2 For
I resolved to know nothing while I was with you, except Jesus Christ, and him
crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, 4 and my
message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with
a demonstration of Spirit and power, 5 so that your faith might rest not on
human wisdom but on the power of God.
St. Paul wrote his first letter to the Christians of Corinth in Greece from Ephesus in Asia Minor in c. AD 54. In his first visit to Corinth, Paul had come from Athens, as we know from the account of his missionary work in Acts of Apostles (17:16-34). He was dejected because his mission in Athens had produced so few converts despite his inspiring discourse to the pagan philosophers in the Areopagus. Paul's perception of the failure of the Athens mission and the moral corruption of the Corinthian society may explain his arriving "in weakness and fear and much trembling" (verse 3).
In the New Testament book Acts of the Apostles, we also learn that the Lord Jesus came to comfort Paul in his distress and to encourage him, telling His apostle: Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with you (Acts 18:9-10). St. Paul, therefore, came to Corinth putting no reliance on carefully argued speeches and human wisdom. Instead, he came to proclaim Christ crucified (verse 2), guided by the Holy Spirit (verses 4-5). Just as St. Paul's preaching to the Corinthians did not rely on worldly eloquence, we must not base the understanding of our obedience of faith on human wisdom. Paul says he founded his message on a demonstration of Spirit and power (verse 4), which refers to the action of the divine grace of God the Holy Spirit, on those who listened to Paul's message with an open heart. The power of God brought the Corinthian Christians to faith and belief in Jesus Christ.
In the Church today, God's grace continues to act through the power of the Holy Spirit in the proclamation of the Gospel message of salvation in Christ Jesus. Pope Paul VI wrote that the strength of the Gospel message is unique: "It cannot be replaced. It does not permit indifference, syncretism, or accommodation. It is a question of people's salvation. It is the beauty of the revelation that it represents. It brings with it a wisdom that is not of this world. It is able to stir up by itself faith, faith that rests on the power of God (cf. 1 Cor 2:5). It is truth. Therefore, it merits having the apostle consecrate to it all his time and all his energies, and to sacrifice for it, if necessary, his own life" (Paul IV, Evangelii nuntiandi, 5).
The Gospel of Matthew 5:13-16 ~ Salt of the Earth and
Light for the World
13 You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its
taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to
be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 You are the light of the world. A city
set on a mountain cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and then put it
under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in
the house. 16 Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see
your good deeds and glorify your heavenly father.
Our Gospel readings continue with Jesus's Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew Chapters 5-7. If the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:2-12 outline the steps to achieve spiritual perfection, then the salt and light metaphors begin teaching the application of that perfection. This passage focuses on two opposing forces: the righteous believer/the Church versus the unrighteous seduced by the secular values of the world. Jesus gives us a difficult assignment when He commands that Christians live the Beatitudes for the good of a world that opposes Christian values and beliefs. He approaches this teaching by using two useful and practical metaphors. Every home in the first century, and every home today, rich and poor alike, has both salt to season food, giving a more pleasing taste and light to illuminate the house at sundown.
The Salt Metaphor: In addition to improving the flavor of foods, salt is also useful: 1. as a preservative, 2. to improve health, 3. as a purifier, and 4. to safeguard a slippery path.
Since Jesus was using salt as a metaphor for the Christian's positive influence, each of its uses can be compared to the Christian's/Church's impact on the world and the condition of the world in general and the unrighteous in particular.
| The World | The Christian/the Church |
| 1. The world is in a state of spiritual decay and has no "flavor" for holiness. | Christian influence for righteousness preserves and encourages what is holy and good, saving the world through the "salt" of faith and providing a moral standard based on a "taste" for the righteousness of Christ in the Eucharist. |
| 2. The world promotes unhealthy behavior, both physically and spiritually. Sin is harmful to living creatures created by God. | In teaching the Law of God and the Gospel message of salvation, Christians promote temporal health for the body and spiritual health for the soul. |
| 3. The world is a corrupting influence; its material and selfish values are in complete opposition to Christian values based on Scripture and the teachings of the Church. | The Christian example is one of purification of body, mind, and spirit in giving the self-sacrificial love of Jesus to each other and the world in general. |
| 4. The world is on the slippery slope to eternal judgment. | The Christian example provides stability through the God-given institutions of marriage, family, and the Church. We become a family of God's children with the Church as our Mother to guide us on the journey to salvation and eternal life. Our obligation as Christians living in the image of Christ is to share this teaching with the world. |
| Michal E. Hunt, Copyright © October 2005 | |
The Light Metaphor:
Matthew 5:14-16 ~ The Christian as the light of the world.
14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a
mountain cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a
bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the
house. 16 Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your
good deeds and glorify your heavenly father.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus identified Himself as the "Light" three times:
In Scripture, "darkness" is a metaphor for sin, and "light" is a metaphor for life generated by Jesus Christ.
However, in Matthew 5:14, Jesus identified the Christian as the "light of the world." There is no contradiction. The Christian does not generate his own "light," Christ Himself generates the supernatural, internal light of the Christian soul. Every faithful and obedient Christian reflects the burning love of Christ. In John 12:36, Jesus told the disciples, "believe in the light so that you may become children of the light." Jesus Christ is "the Light," and He empowers us to be "children of the light."
Jesus defined Christian light in verse 16 of our Gospel reading as the "light" of God's children generated by their good deeds. Our good deeds are generated by Jesus Christ, "the Light," working through His children and illuminating them with His light. The implied contrast between the Christian/the Church and the world is that the world is in darkness, and the Church, through her Body of believers, provides the light of salvation to the world. Jesus gave examples to express the metaphor of Christian light in positive and negative images:
Jesus is the Light of the world, and He calls us to reflect His light so we can live as "children of the light." As St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness ... But since we are of the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet that is hope for salvation. For God did not destine us for wrath, but to gain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, as indeed you do (1 Thess 5:5-11).
| The World | The Christian/the Church |
| The world is in darkness (a metaphor for sin). | The Christian must let the light that is Christ and the Gospel message of salvation shine through the actions of each Christian and the Christian community to illuminate the earth as a beacon of truth and mercy. |
And how does the Christian accomplish this mission living in a world of sin? The Christian is "in the world" but must not be "of the world." Faithful believers must remain apart from the world and in no way conform to or become contaminated by what is acceptable behavior in secular society that is contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ, or they will lose "flavor" and "light." Christians must remain distinctively Christian in all aspects of life. If Christians become indistinguishable from non-Christians and the secular world, then the Church has lost her distinctive call to lost souls to come out of the dark, sinful influences of the world and into the "light" of Christ's love. The Church should be an instrument that promotes "social justice," but social justice is only an outgrowth of the works of faith to which Christ calls His Church. The focus of the message must always be evangelization and salvation through Jesus Christ.
When a Christian or a faith community becomes influenced by the world, and the teachings of Christ become diluted, conforming to what the world supports in its changing values suited to the changing times (for example, abortion, birth control, same-sex marriages, divorce, gender confusion, etc.), then there is a price to be paid. If a Christian becomes something contrary to what the Church and Sacred Scripture teach, what is the value of the Christian witness? In that case, a Christian goes from "righteous disciple" to useless "road dirt," and, as Jesus said, "no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot" (Mt 5:13). We must transform the world without the world leaving its mark on us. Preserving the uniquely Christian character of the Church as passed down to us by Jesus Christ is the call of Christian discipleship, responsibility, and the obedience of faith.
If the Christian is the salt that preserves, purifies, and improves the world, and the light that guides humanity, then those attached to the world destroy rather than purify. They live in darkness, unlike the Christians who share the light of Christ that illuminates the world. Jesus told us it is the New Covenant believer who will save the world through the preserving salt of faith and provide the internal light that guides hearts and souls out of the darkness of sin and despair and into the "light" of Jesus Christ. In our Christian mission (which is contrary to the teaching and wisdom of the world), we must be ever mindful of Jesus's warning as we continually struggle against secular influences when He said, If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you (Jn 15:18-19).
Catechism References (* indicates Scripture quoted or
paraphrased in the citation):
Isaiah 58:7 (CCC 2447*)
Matthew 5:13-16 (CCC 782*, 2821*)
People of God to be salt and light (CCC 782*)
Moral life and missionary witness (CCC 2044, 2045*, 2046)
Light on works of mercy and love for the poor (CCC 2443*, 2444*, 2445*, 2446, 2447*, 2448, 2449*)
The baptized (neophytes) are to be the light of the world (CCC 1243*)
Christ crucified is the wisdom of God (CCC 272*)
Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2014; revised 2023 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.