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Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

READ: (Isa 58: 7-10; 1Cor 2: 1-5; Matt 5: 13-16)

REFLECT: Be a beacon of light, empower yourself by God’s power and Spirit and be authentic disciples of Christ

Dear friends, we are in the fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. We all know and are aware that being and becoming a disciple of Christ is the primary act of every Christian on earth. A disciple realises that he or she is not above Christ, the master. A disciple disciplines one’s life according to the commands of God, the Master. A disciple dedicates his or her life for Christ, the master. A disciple develops close intimacy with the Holy Spirit, the animator of life. The liturgy of the word invites us to reflect in what ways our call to discipleship in Christ might change our lives and the lives of others better. So based on the liturgy of the word, I would like to share with you three points of reflection;

1.     Be a beacon of Light:

The call to be beacons of light comes from God who is light and Jesus the light of the world (Jn 8:12). God’s light is in each one of us and so we are called to be a light that reflects the glory of God and manifests the work of God. The concrete experience and expression of being a beacon of light is what we see in the first reading from prophet Isaiah. We become a light that breaks forth like the dawn when we share the bread with the hungry; when we bring the homeless people into houses or dwelling place; when we clothe those who are naked. Further, at the end of the reading we hear that when we take away the yoke of others, when we stop pointing our fingers at others and speaking wickedness, when we feed the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.

Yes, today we experience the yoke of life in different forms. The yokes are the forms of bondage, oppressive systems and structures that make people suffer and become slaves to it or all unpleasant acts that displease God; Pointing a finger and speaking wickedness may refer to our daily accusation, discrimination, gossip, character assassination about the other. These sorts of attitude make us and others dwell consistently in darkness and fail to show oneself and others the light that gives us brightness, the light that leads us away from darkness, the light that gives us right direction and leads us to the destiny of life that God has designed for us, his children.

Today, we are called to be beacons of light that radiates for others and oneself to walk towards God, the eternal light. When we have the light of Christ within us, there will be no chance for us to dwell in darkness or darks pots of life. The only way to become the beacon of light and preserve the light of Christ is to abide in Christ and be closely united with God. Such holy and sacred connections with God makes us strong enough to bear witness to the light of Christ that always shines.  The light in us begins to fade away, when our minds get crowded with our own ideals of life that are selfish and meaningless. Let us then carry the light of hope, wherever we go and carry with us that enlightens us perfectly well to attuned to God. 

Let us remember that we need not create light nor force it to shine for others, we just need to carry the light within us. Let us become aware that Christ's light is present in us always and his light never fades away nor does it make us dull. So let us make every effort to dwell in the light of Christ and be a beacon of light in our world.

2.     Be empowered by God’s power and Spirit:

It is true indeed that knowledge and wisdom are essential to life but they are not the only essentials of life. The essential for the nutrition and nourishment of life is the power and spirit of God. Without the power and spirit of God, we can do nothing. In fact, Paul realised it in life, although it was a little late. However, sooner or later the realisation might have been, St. Paul received the grace of God and spirit of God to say strongly, “I consider everything a waste because of the precious worth of knowing Christ,” (Phil 3:8). Something similar we find in the second reading from the second letter of St. Paul to Corinthians. 

St. Paul very clearly affirms that it is not the lofty speech or wisdom that makes us great but the power and spirit of God. In Acts 22:3, we hear St. Paul saying that he was educated in the school of Gamaliel a man held in great esteem by all Jews and was the Jewish law teacher of Paul the Apostle, yet the knowledge and wisdom obtained in the school was used as an instrument in the service of God and not a central point. Because, what enabled St. Paul to be an apostle of Christ and a great missionary was the power and the spirit of God. St. Paul firmly believed in it and acted according to God's plan. 

Just as St. Paul reminds the community at Corinth that lofty speech and wisdom is nothing compared to the power and spirit of God, so also, we need to remind ourselves that our knowledge and wisdom are just an aid for proclamation of the good news about God’s kingdom. Most of us consider or take glory in one’s own self-sufficiency, self-knowledge, self-glory, self-growth and self-obtained values or standards but we need to realise that the glorious moments and times that we obtain are from God’s power and his sprit. We need to realize that without the power and the spirit of God we are powerless and spiritless, because God gives us power to empower ourselves and others. 

Moreover, the power and spirit in us do not appear all of a sudden and it’s not our own. It is the power and spirit of God from above. It is the power and spirit of God that makes us strong, makes us powerful examples to inspire others and makes us successful in our ministry or anything that we venture into or endeavour. So it is the power and spirit of God makes us successful and valuable. Let us pray that the power and the spirit of God continue to accompany us in our journey of life, so that we may become a worthy instrument in the hand of the Lord and in his vineyard. 

Very clearly, Pope Leo XIV says, "The Spirit opens borders, first of all, in our hearts. He is the Gift that opens our lives to love. His presence breaks down our hardness of heart, our narrowness of mind, our selfishness, the fears that enchain us and the narcissism that makes us think only of ourselves."  Yes, in a world, where we speak more about self and less about God and others, the spirit of God reminds us that we are meant to love others beyond boundaries and bonds, divisions and individual delights. Let us entrust our hands in the power and the spirit of God to animate our lives.

3.     Be authentic Disciples of Christ:

Resembling Christ makes us authentic Disciples of Christ. The previous passage of today’s gospel passage is Beatitudes; the entire profile of Jesus’ life we can say who Jesus was, is and will be is manifested by Jesus. So Jesus is the cause of blessings and joy of the disciples. The blessings to be salt and light of the world derive from Jesus himself. Thus, by following Jesus in all ways and always would make us salt and light of the world.

The two metaphors salt and light teach us specific and special features of us as followers of Christ. We know Salt is used as a preservative for food items similarly the disciples are called to be a kind of preservative or benefit for people to stand for righteousness and justice, without allowing themselves to get carried away by the worldly pleasures and benefits. The disciples are invited to obtain pleasures and benefits from God and God’s ways. We know the metaphor of light, the light dispels darkness and shines out in dark spots, similarly the disciples having received light from Jesus the light of the world, they are called to shine the light of Christ to the darkened world, become children of light and make others too as children of light (Eph 5:8; 1 Pet 2:12; 1 Thess 5:4).

Certainly, Jesus had in mind to take us all to the realm and reality of light through the revelation of God’s will. Since Jesus is the Light of the world (Jn 8:12; 9:5), we his followers should also reflect the light of Christ. Just like the lights from a city top or hill top lights up the entire darkened place or a lamp inside a house provides light for all those who are in it, we christians need to let our good words, good works, good examples, shine before the rest of the world, so that others may praise and glorify God through our deeds.

Today most of us fail to provide or unable to reflect the light of Christ to another because, we don’t have or seek the light of Christ. We fail to add taste in life like the salt that adds taste to food or preserves food, because we do not come forward to experience or encounter Jesus in our lives. We know that salt is not useful as long as it is kept in the store-room. Light does not serve the purpose when it is placed under a bowl. Similarly, we need to serve for the purpose we are called, chosen, committed and convinced. Just as people can see the town clearly from the hill top, so also our distinctive mark of discipleship as followers and witnesses of Christ is intended for others to see, draw inspiration. Though at times we may be faced with pessimism, doubt and persecution, but ultimately the salt and light of Christ within us will have its lasting impact and effect.  

Let us remind ourselves that just as salt loses its distinctiveness when it is not salty or just as light loses its distinctiveness when it does not shine or glow, so also the Disciples of Christ lose their distinctive nature of being true disciples when we do not reflect the light of God in our lives as Christians or add taste in the life of another. So let us serve the purpose for which we are created and called as children of God, become Disciples of Christ as salt and light of the world.

As Pope Francis has very aptly said that Christian witness must be grounded in humility, which means being simple salt and light for others. “Salt for others; light for others: Because salt does not give flavour to itself but serves others. Light does not illuminate itself but serves others. Being light for others would mean to help others in their darkest hour. This is simple witness.” So let us manifest this simple Christian witness by being salt and light to the world.

RESPOND:

Are we beacons of light giving ray of hope to one another in the world?

Do we feel that we are empowered on our own strength or empowered by God’s power and spirit?

Do we make efforts to be authentic Disciples of Christ by being a light that shines and a salt that adds taste and preserves life?

So let us pray that we become beacons of God’s light to one another, empower ourselves by God’s power and Spirit and be authentic Disciples of Christ by being salt and light of the world. Amen.

God bless us all! Live Jesus!

Fr. Ramesh George MSFS

rameshvkmsfs@gmail.com

9500930968