SUNDAY RELECTIONS: FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Isaiah 58: 7-10; 1 Corinthians 2: 1-5; Matthew 5: 13-16

(Rev. Dr. Francis Perry Azah)

On this Sunday we are reminded by our Lord Jesus that we are the salt of the earth and a light of the world and as such we need to demonstrate for others to see these qualities that we possess. To be successful in achieving a goal we must take care at the beginning to determine the correct direction, which of course, is obvious. What is not so obvious is to ask the right questions, the questions that will accurately focus us upon the right path. If we do not ask the right questions, we will not obtain the correct answers. When it comes to spirituality, we must ask some first questions. One is "Do we find God, or does God seek us out and then present Himself to us?" Another such question is "Do I construct the way to God, or do I accept the way God has given me?" So when it comes to being a follower of Christ, when it comes to being one of His faithful disciples, am I my own guide? We know the answer, don't we! A child cannot raise himself on his own. I cannot be a Christian on my own. We all need guidance. If we think being a Christian is a "do-it-yourself' endeavor then we are self-deluded.

Our readings proclaim that the light of Christ is seen in this dark world by our good deeds. These good deeds include upright behavior - “remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech”. They also include speaking the truth with courage. This was what St. Paul stated in our second reading: “When I came . . . proclaiming the mystery of God, I . . . resolved to [speak of] nothing . . . except Jesus Christ . . . crucified.” Finally, they include works of justice and mercy as Isaiah prophesied in our first reading: “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.” We have both a right and a duty to behave these ways both in our private dealings with people and in public life. One virtue that is always necessary for carrying out this duty is generosity. Today, another virtue we need is courage in the face of rejection and quite possibly oppression.

The prophet Isaiah cuts through any misguided sense we might have that caring for ourselves is the way of salvation. When we clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and bring in the homeless, we find light and healing. We should not be motivated primarily to do these things out of fear, but out of love – because it is in so doing that we find God’s light and healing. This is what it means to say that Jesus is the way of salvation. God does not give us the gift of salvation like a magic pill; He offers us the example of the way of redemption. When we give the very gift of life to those most in need, we find the way God gives us life, here and in the world to come. The Gospel seals the message this week: you do your good works not to be seen by others, but that God’s glory will be seen. This is the way of life and of living.

Christ was the light of the world; he was the salt of the earth. He it was who gave humanity the knowledge of the true nature of God. He it was who gave this life of ours its flavor, who gave this life its true meaning, its preservation. When we think of salt, we think of how it makes our food taste better. In those days salt not only made food more tasty, but it was used very much like we use refrigeration today, as a preservative. I can vividly remember my mother using salt to preserver meat and other food-stuffs when we were not having refrigerator in my childhood years. This is what Jesus wants his disciples to be, to become preservatives in the lives of our fellow human beings by helping to preserve the faith bequeath to us by Christ.

The major problem today is we wonder why people are no more interested in the faith into which they are baptized. But I think that we the staunch and faithful Christians are called upon to bring the Church into the lives of those who are in the world by our good examples and also help to preserve that faith of our brothers and sisters. That was what Christ did, namely, to reach out and meet people where they are in their need, in their brokenness. We are failing to carry out the mission Christ entrusted to us through our apostolic lineage. It is our responsibility to proclaim the Gospel with our lives and to attract more souls to Christ.

There is no need to emphasize the importance of light on our world today as at the time of Jesus. He is the true light who has come to dispel darkness from our lives; he also referred to us as light to be shined on the paths of those around us. We must let our good examples be shining models for others to see and follow. The parents who teach the Christian way of life to their children by word and especially by example is spreading the light of the Christian faith. The way we perform our duties at home, work place and our neighborhood by being honest, charitable in word and action would be helping those who are still in the world of darkness to see the light of Christ through us.