FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME -- YEAR A

READINGS First Reading: Is 58: 7-10; Second: 1 Cor 2: 1-5 Gospel: Mt 5: 13-16

THEME OF THE READINGS 

"Deeds, not words," such could be the message of this fifth Sunday in ordinary time. "To share your bread … to bring the homeless poor into your house, ... when you see the naked, to cover him, ..." these are what pleases God, says the prophet Isaiah (First Reading). In the Gospel, Jesus says to his disciples: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and give glory to your Father." Conscious of the essence of the Christian faith, St. Paul centers his preaching, not on human reasoning, but on the work of Christ: his death on a cross for our salvation, not in eloquence or the ability to persuade, but in the action and power of the Spirit (Second Reading). 

DOCTRINAL MESSAGE 

Christianity is faith which acts through charity. Both are necessary and inseparable. Christianity experiences a great tragedy when Christians separate faith and charity: to be a good Christian by faith alone without works, or by works without faith. These are the opposite of true Christianity. 

Every Christian is salt of the earth, light of the world, a city on a hilltop, thanks to his faith and his works. Salt is the symbol of wisdom, and the Christian has the wisdom of the Gospel. Salt has the capacity to preserve from corruption, and the Christian, as salt, will preserve the milieu in which he lives through the testimony of his works. Light is created to illuminate, and the Christian is light who, with the Word of God, enlightens minds and human situations. One does not light a lamp to cover it. The Christian is this lamp whose good works cannot be hidden, because it would be tantamount to leaving the world in darkness. 

Like a city on a hilltop guiding the traveler on his journey, so the Christian guides people with his words, with the doctrine of the faith. All find refuge and security in the city. The Christian is refuge and security by his example: a sign of security in the midst of the dangers and uncertainties of life.The first reading gives examples of the works that make the Christian salt, light, and a city on high for men: satisfying the hunger of the needy, housing the homeless, dressing the naked, removing oppression, defeating the temptation to calumniate and accuse. 

In a word, Christian works are works of justice, solidarity, respect, and charity toward all.No one loves more than the one who gives his life for another. This is the supreme act of love, the work of Christ that Paul shows the Corinthians. This is the truly effective work, beyond all philosophies or persuasive rhetoric. The Corinthians embraced the faith precisely because of the mysterious action of that work in the interior of their hearts, and by the power of the Spirit which gives efficacy to the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.

PASTORAL SUGGESTIONS 

1. Role of the Christian in contemporary society. The most important activity of the Christian is to proclaim his faith in Jesus Christ, both in words and in deeds. It is not enough to believe, because faith without works is dead, and a dead faith is like the salt that has lost its saltiness, lacking the power to attract or to convince. Are there not such people in our parishes: persons who go to Mass and then speak badly about others; who believe themselves to be fervent Christians, but do not welcome immigrants; who know the Christian doctrine of the sixth commandment very well, but forget to live the fifth, or do not pay their taxes, or pay less than they should? Neither is work alone sufficient, because works without faith cannot save us. It is not genuinely Christian to work for others, and to dedicate oneself to works of aid, while forgetting to pray or to go to Mass on Sundays. It is not sufficient to give money to the poor, help generously in social works, while also finding it "impossible" to believe in the resurrection of the flesh and in eternal life. We must accept the whole of Christianity as taught by Christ, with no exceptions. 

2. Cultivate faith, practice works of charity. Given the situation of so many faithful today, it is necessary that the parishes offer and promote courses and activities to grow in the faith, to strengthen it and to defend it in face of possible dangers, either directly or with the help of other institutions (religious congregations, ecclesial movements, associations of Catholic laymen, etc.). It is advisable that parishes themselves promote "organized charity," at the parish or diocesan level, in order to be effective in helping the poor. The ways can vary: collection of clothes or food for those suffering loss or for Caritas, a friendly telephone call, a visit to the elderly and the sick, etc.

Source: http://www.clerus.org/clerus/dati/2004-05/21-13/CICLOA.html by P. ANTONIO IZQUIERDO L.C. (1948-2013)

[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다].