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“Man with Two Loaves of Breads,”
Jean-François Raffaëlli,1879 |
Readings for Sunday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading 1: Isaiah 58:7-10
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.
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.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!
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.
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Commentary on Is 58:7-10
This selection from Isaiah in the post-exilic period is part of the second in a series of poems. It speaks to the concept of fasting, a practice invoked in times of bereavement and national sorrow (see 2 Samuel 1:12; 3:35 and also Joshua 7:6; Judges 20:26). This poem extols the virtue of charity, sharing with those in need, even as the faithful practice the ritual fast.
“Fasting should unite rich and poor, so that all taste the dust out of which each was made (Genesis 3:19). Only the wealthy can fast; they alone have something of which to deprive themselves. In fasting they share the lot of the poor who are always hungry. To fast and yet neglect the poor is a perverted form of conceit.” [5]
CCC: Is 58:6-7 2447
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. (4a) The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Light shines through the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
R. The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
R. The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.
or:
R. Alleluia.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
His justice shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Psalm 112 is a wisdom psalm containing sayings typical of Proverbs and other wisdom literature. In these strophes we find the attributes applied to the righteous person: “Light shines through the darkness”; the spirit of God guides them. Generosity (especially to the poor) is extolled. Fidelity to the Lord in the face of the wicked is also praised: “He shall never be moved […] his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD”
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Reading 2: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
When I came to you, brothers and sisters,
proclaiming the mystery of God,
I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you
except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling,
and my message and my proclamation
were not with persuasive words of wisdom,
but with a demonstration of Spirit and power,
so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom
but on the power of God.
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Commentary on 1 Cor 2:1-5
The apostle goes into an explanation of his axiomatic expression: “the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:25) The difficulty he had in proclaiming his gospel in Athens using Hellenistic rhetoric (Acts 17:16-34) caused him to proclaim Christ to the Corinthians in an unvarnished way, “Christ and him crucified.” Coming to them in humility, he provides an example and faith based, not upon logic, but upon the spirit that goes beyond human wisdom. He offers this same “kenosis” in Philippians 2:6-11.
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Gospel: Matthew 5:13-16
Jesus said to his disciples:
“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.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
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.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father.”
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Commentary on Mt 5:13-16
In this selection from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus uses allegory to push the Word of God into the world. He tells his disciples they are an integral part of the faith of the people in God. Like seasoning is to food, so the Word of God is to faith. They must remain steadfast so they do not lose zeal for God, which is the taste of that seasoning. It is that which sets it apart.
He uses a second allegory, light, to provide still more direction. The light of faith will be seen by all because it is reflected in the actions of those who believe. That light serves to guide others to God, when they may otherwise become lost in darkness, and wander into paths of desolation. That light that pours from the disciples will be seen as a gift, not from them, but from the Father, and the Father will be glorified because of the light.
“Salt and light each impart their own virtue, provided they remain fully what they are. Christians are the means whereby God wants to flavor life, to illuminate life. Do we not too often want to be receivers rather than the givers, and do we not in this way become insipid and dark? The disciple himself is responsible if the world around him remains crouching in lethargy, untransformed.” [6]
CCC: Mt 5:13-16 782, 2821; Mt 5:14 1243; Mt 5:16 326
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Reflection:
We gather in this sacred space each week, coming together as a family of faith to celebrate our inheritance and to receive spiritual food and drink from our adoptive Father, the Triune God. We may not think of it that way. We may not understand that it is like going to visit our biological parents in their home, but that is exactly what it is. We are all adopted in Christ through his baptism. As his adopted children, we come home to share a meal and recall family stories; to celebrate our good fortune for being given such a loving parent.
Part of what we do when we come home (metaphorically speaking) is we are reminded about what it means to be a family of faith. Today in the Word of God, which ironically is also food, we are told that being part of this family means we are expected to go into the family business, so to speak.
Imagine the setting as Jesus talked to his disciples in the Gospel story. He has just finished delivering the Sermon on the Mount and now he sits down with his disciples to explain what they must do. He begins by telling them they are the salt of the earth. In today’s usage, that almost seems like a cliché term. Salt of the earth has come to represent someone who is upstanding, respected by all, a pillar of the community.
In Jesus’ day, what he tells his disciples has a much deeper importance. First, salt used as seasoning was very important and valuable as well. In some parts of the world in ancient history, it was used as legal tender. Salt as the Lord spoke of it, made things taste pleasant, it made them attractive. Without salt, much of the food would have been unpalatable. So, when Jesus tells his disciples they are “salt of the earth,” he is telling them that they are the ones who must flavor the people of the world with God’s message.
Consider for a moment what we would be thinking if we were sitting there with the Lord. He looks at us as if he were seeing right through us and says: “You are the salt of the earth.” We know, by the way he tells us, that from that moment forward all we do and everyone we touch will be changed by our works. They will look at us and see Jesus in how we act, and by the love we share. We know too, that when we behave badly, when we are angry or hurtful, it is like salt that does not work in a dish. It is like grains of sand instead of seasoning. It hurts, it tastes bitter.
We understand about the savor we must add with the message we bring. But there is another deeper implication, an even more important use of salt in those ancient times. It was used to preserve food. It kept food from going bad. So, when Jesus tells us we are salt for the world, he is also implying that his message, the message we share through what we say and do, also has the effect of saving, preserving the world. Without it, without that salt, the world will rot and fester. We, the salt for the earth, are here to save it for God, through his Son.
The Lord does not stop there. He goes on to tell his disciples “You are the light of the world.” In his day, Jesus would have been referring to the single lamp that lit the homes of those who lived in that part of the world. Without that lamp the household was in darkness; nothing useful could be accomplished after darkness fell.
When the Lord uses that analogy, one that is used many times in Scripture, he tells the disciples their purpose in the world is to share his mission. Jesus came into the world for one purpose. He came so that we could know the Father’s infinite love for us. Jesus was not just a man, he was love incarnate. He was God’s ultimate expression of love for us, and through this love salvation came. The light of Christ, the living Easter Candle, drives back the darkness of sin and makes us pure once more. We are, as we were told at our baptism, children of the light.
Once again, we consider for a moment what we would have thought if we had been sitting there and Jesus had said to us: “You are the light of the world.” If we thought to make a joke of it, we might think: “Gee, do I glow in the dark?” But we know that it is not physical light, like a flashlight or a candle he’s talking about. We know that it is the light of faith, and faith colors all we do. If we have faith, we act as Isaiah told the returning exiles in the 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.”
The people Isaiah created this poem for had just returned from being exiled and were blessed by God who returned them to their ancestral home. In righteousness, they were to share God’s love and mercy with those less fortunate.
When we behave in this way, those who receive our help see us as light in dark places. They see us as heralds of God’s love. But we must also be careful to be light. (St. Paul, speaking to the people at Corinth in his first letter said just this.) Light does not expect to be rewarded. Light does not shine on us and then brag about how good it is to be light. No, we must give the way Jesus gave, humbly, without expecting reward. How can we, who owe all we are to God, take credit for passing on what he gave us?
It is like the story of the scientists who announced to God that they were able to duplicate his creation of life and therefore they were just as great as he is. God asked them how they were able to do this. One of the scientists said, “Well, first we took some dirt…”
God interrupted and said, “Wait a minute, you have to make your own dirt.”
Today Jesus’ words from St. Matthew’s Gospel give us a reminder of what we must do and be if we are to call ourselves disciples of the Lord. He calls us to be salt for the earth, giving it flavor [not insipid] and preserving it from the evil one. He calls us to be a light for the world that shines out giving hope to those of live in darkness and the shadow of death. He calls us to follow him, guiding those who follow into his peace.
Pax
In other years on February 8th: Optional Memorial of St. Jerome Emiliani or Optional Memorial of St. Josephine Bakhita
[1] Catechism links are taken from the
Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture is “Man with Two Loaves of Breads,” Jean-François Raffaëlli,1879.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] Jerome Biblical Commentary (Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968), 22:54, p. 382.
[6] Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume I (Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 1996), 207.
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