Study and Meditations on this Sunday's Scripture Readings: February 6, 2011

[Fidelis]

To help us prepare for this coming Sunday, here are the readings, studies and reflections for this coming Sunday’s Scripture readings. This Sunday is the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A. This Sundays Gospel Reading continues a series of Sunday in which we will hear from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

Here are the Scripture readings from the U.S. Catholic bishops website.

My own weekly study can be found here under “Current Study.”

Here are three audio reflections on the readings by Sister Ann Shields, Dr. Scott Hahn and Fr. Robert Barron.

Here are a pair of Catholic Bible study podcasts on the Gospel Reading, each about an hour long:

–Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother
–St. Martha’s Adult Faith Formation

The Navarre Bible Commentary for each reading can be viewed here.

Further study resources for the Readings: St. Charles Borromeo Bible Study can be found here, and Catholic Matters can be found here.

Please consider supporting those who provide these free resources. Discussion, questions and charitable comments are always welcome. Have a blessed week!

 

[Fidelis]

1st Reading - Isaiah 58:7-10

This exhortation from the prophet Isaiah is directed toward those Jews coming back into the land after their exile in Babylon. The prophet is here telling them that God commands them to practice charity towards their needy neighbors. It is only by so doing, that they can prove their love and loyalty to their God and expect favors from him in return. Justice towards one neighbor was a a common theme of the prophets both preceding and following the Exile; indeed injustice or uncharity toward neighbor was cited as a factor in why they were exiled in the first place, and a condition f or God’s continued blessing upon their return.

Here is the 1st Reading as we will hear it this Sunday:

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.

 

[Fidelis]

From the* Navarre Bible Commentary* with RSV-CE text:

*[7] Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? [8] Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. [9] Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, Here I am."“If you take away from the midst of you the yoke, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. *

58:1-14. This new denunciation, very much in the style of this part of the book, criticizes fasting done in the wrong spirit; it is uncompromising (vv. 1-7) but it ends with words of encouragement. The Lord cannot go along with the hypocrisy of a purely external religion–with people going, through the motions of religious observance while being unjust in their dealings with others and ignoring those in need. Those who act in this way cannot know much about God this is why the prophet feels compelled to speak out and use every opportunity to correct them.

“They seek me daily” (v. 2), that is, they we keen to hear the oracles spoken by the prophets, to learn what God is saying, but they do out act on them-- which shows that they do not really know what religion is all about. Conversion to God is not a matter of engaging in many external acts of worship and fasting, while being unjust, exploiting workers and neglecting the poor. It is not surprising that God ignores fasts if those who perform them commit sins against justice and charity (vv. 3-6). In this poem different people’s voices are heard at different points: first God tells the prophet to keep on condemning hypocrisy (vv. 1-2); then men speak, complaining that God ignores their fasting (v. 3) and at the end God teaches and reproaches: he will have nothing to do with the hypocrisy of those who perform fasts but behave wickedly (vv. 4-7); whereas he will certainly listen to prayers if they are accompanied by acts of justice and charity (vv. 8-14).

The works of mercy recommended in this oracle are echoed in Jesus’ discourse on the Last Judgment in Matthew 25:23-45. Christian spirituality has, always stressed that love of neighbor and works of mercy are clear proof of a person’s love of God and are a touchstone of true religion, for “…works of mercy are proof of a truly holy life" (Rabanus Maurus, recorded by St Thomas Aquinas in the “Catena Aurea”). And St Leo the Great taught: “Let each of the faithful examine his own conscience, seeking out his deepest desires; if he finds the fruits of love within his soul, he will know that God is with him, and he should strive even harder to be worthy of so great a guest, being ever more generous in his works of mercy” (“Sermones”, 48, 3).

 

[Fidelis]

From the 1859 Haydock Commentary with DRV text:

*7 Deal thy bread to the hungry, and bring the needy and the harbourless into thy house: when thou shalt see one naked, cover him, and despise not thy own flesh.

Ver. 7. Deal. Literally, “break.” (Haydock) — Thin cakes are still used in the East. — *Flesh, *or relation, Genesis xxvii. 27.

8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy health shall speedily arise, and thy justice shall go before thy face, and the glory of the Lord shall gather thee up.

Ver. 8. *Light. *Prosperity, (Calmet) or Saviour. (Haydock) — Matthew iv. 2., and John i. 8. (Calmet) — Health. Aquila, “the scar of thy wound shall soon be covered.” (St. Jerome) — *Up. *He shall close the rear, like the angel in the cloud, Exodus xiii. 21., and xiv. 19. He will grant thee rest from bondage in the grave and in heaven. (Calmet)

9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall hear: thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou wilt take away the chain out of the midst of thee, and cease to stretch out the finger, and to speak that which profiteth not.

Ver. 9. Finger, contemptuously, or threatening. (St. Jerome) — Some explain it of the ordaining sacred ministers, or taking another’s property.

10 When thou shalt pour out thy soul to the hungry, and shalt satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light rise up in darkness, and thy darkness shall be as the noon-day.
**
Ver. 10.** Soul, effectually, and with love relieving the distressed. (Calmet)

 

[Fidelis]

Other thoughts and comments on the 1st Reading:

**7 Sharing your bread with the hungry: **Literally, “breaking your bread” (see Acts 2:46; Mark 6:41; Mark 14:22). Jesus, in Matthew 25:31-46 makes the final judgment depend upon the kindly acts of charity mentioned here.

sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own: The faithful Jew is urged by God, through the prophet, to provide the three basic necessities of life for a fellow Jew: food, clothing and shelter. This was already commanded through Moses (Let. 19:17): "You shall love your love your neighbor as yourself”, but this was often neglected. In addition, only other Jews were considered to be neighbor, necessitated by the prohibition against mixing with pagan nations.

**8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed: **If they practice true charity their hope for the future, namely, that God will send the Messiah, will grow strong and bright; and the healing of the wound, that is, the offences to God which caused their exile, will be swift and sure.

**Your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard: **True charity for neighbor will prove their true loyalty to God, and God in his turn will be their light and their security. They can trust in him.

**9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!: ** Then their prayers and their other religious practices will be answered by God.

If you remove from your midst oppression: If they cease to oppose their weaker neighbors.

false accusation and malicious speech: Literally, “the pointing of the finger (or ‘clenched fist’), and speaking wickedness”. In other words: oppressing, cursing and abusing their neighbors.

**10 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: **If they undertake charitable works, with a sincere heart, they can look forward to a bright and happy future. When lowliness unites all men, then God will fill the need of the world with his glorious presence. The final age will have to come.

 

[Fidelis]

Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph referencing Isaiah 58:7-10

2447 The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities.242 Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead.243 Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God:244

   * He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none and he who has food must do likewise.245 But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you.246 If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?247 *

242. Cf. Isa 58:6-7; Heb 13:3.

243. Cf. Mt 25:31-46.

244. Cf. Tob 4:5-11; Sir 17:22; Mt 6:2-4.

245. Lk 3:11.

246. Lk 11:41.

247. Jas 2:15-16; cf. 1 Jn 3:17.

 

[Fidelis]

A meditation on the 1st Reading for practical application from Catholic Matters:

**APPLICATION: **Charity, true love of neighbor which produces good deeds of kindness, is equated with love of God, by Christ himself (Mt. 22:39), and is the proof of one’s true love for God, according to St. John (1 Jn. 4: 20). All our protestations that we love God, and all our devotions and prayers are not only useless, but are lies to God, if we hate one of our neighbors or refuse to help a needy one, when we are able to do so. This is a truth that should make us all stop and think. We may wonder sometimes, if God has forgotten us when all the prayers something we need so badly, are left unanswered. Perhaps it’s because we have been liars to God’s face, or have professed that we loved him and trusted in his goodness while we hated one his children–our neighbor.

It is true, there are so many calls on our charity today. So many are in dire need at home an abroad, that we can grow tired of sharing our bread or our clothes. But God does not expect, or demand of us, to help everybody, but only as many as we can. However, the obligation of forgiving a neighbor who has offended us, or of ridding ourselves of any racial or religious bias, which we hold , costs us only a wee bit of personal pride. Are we so important that nobody should dare ever offend us, or rather do we act as if an offense were meant? Nearly always a friendly word from the one who was offended, or who thought that he was offended, will put the record straight and mutual charity will be restored. Are we so superior because of our race, or our creed, our social status or possessions that we can behave insultingly, that is uncharitably, towards a neighbor who hasn’t got the same gifts that we have the good fortune to possess?

Charity begins at home, but it must not end there. Be peaceful, forgiving, cheerful, helpful in the home and you will find how quickly the other members of the family will react and begin to imitate you. Outside of the home our nearest neighbors must be the first to feel the warmth of our charity. Without prying into their private affairs, which is the opposite of charity, we can easily learn, from casual conversation, if any of them are in need of some of the spiritual or corporal works of mercy.

Remember this: he who loves his neighbor with a Christian love, which means that he is always ready to help any neighbor in need, is thereby proving his true love for God. Should the time come when he himself should be in need of help, he is assured of God’s help, and his neighbors will not be found wanting either.

 

[Fidelis]

2nd Reading - 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

We continue this week with Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians as he addresses divisions within the Church. As you will recall, two weeks ago we heard Paul address those who claimed to belong to Apollos, those who claimed Cephas, others who claimed Paul, and even those who followed only Christ. At that time he reminded them (and us) that the Church is the body of Christ and as such cannot be divided. He also reminded us that God has chosen what is weak by human reckoning to be His followers.

Paul told his Corinthian converts that they had not been called by God to become members of Christ’s Church, because of any worldly nobility or power or wealth which they had. They were called from, what the world might call them today, the “lower classes.” But they were high in God’s esteem. Today, he tells them that his success among them was not due to any great gifts of body or mind which he had, or displayed. Their conversion was due not to his earthly wisdom or rhetorical powers, but to the spirit and the power of God which was made manifest among them. It is to Gods power alone that they owe their faith.

If anyone can boast, they can boast only in that they have been chosen by God. This week he reminds us that we are to pay attention to what is important-- we are to hear the clear message of the crucified Christ and pay attention to it and not the messenger.

Here is the 2nd Reading as we will hear it this Sunday:

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.

 

[Fidelis]

From the *Navarre Bible Commentary *with RSV-CE text:

St. Paul’s Preaching in Corinth
-------------------------------
*[1] When I came to you, brethren, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God in lofty words or wisdom. [2] For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. [3] And I was with you in weakness and in much fear and trembling; *

1-3. The Apostle had come to Corinth from Athens, as we know from the Acts of the Apostles (17:16-34); in that city he had not made many converts, despite his brilliant discourse in the Areopagus. This fact, and the moral corruption of Corinthian society, may explain his arriving “in much fear and trembling” (v. 3); he must have felt that he had a difficult task ahead of him. As it turned out, he must have met many difficulties: our Lord appeared to him at night in a vision to comfort and encourage him: “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with you” (Acts 18:9-10). St Paul, therefore, putting no reliance on carefully argued speeches, proclaims Christ crucified, to make sure that faith is grounded on God alone.

St Paul sums up his entire message here “Jesus Christ and him crucified”. The Church, on whom it devolves to continue the mission of the Apostles, does nothing but make Jesus Christ known: “Our spirit is set in one direction,” Pope John Paul II reminds us; “the only direction for our intellect, will and heart is towards Christ our Redeemer, towards Christ, the Redeemer of man. We wish to look towards him because there is salvation in no one else but him, the Son of God-- repeating what Peter said, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life’ (Jn 6:68) …]. The Church lives his mystery, draws unwearyingly from it and continually seeks ways of bringing this mystery of her Master and Lord to mankind–to the peoples, the nations, the succeeding generations, and every individual human being–as if she were ever repeating, as the Apostle did, ‘For I decided to blow nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified’ (1 Cor 2:2). The Church stays within the sphere of the mystery of the Redemption, which has become the fundamental principle of her life and mission” (“Redemptor Hominis”, 7).

Every Christian, for his part, should try to see that those around him “desire to know Jesus Christ and him crucified and that they be firmly convinced and with the most heartfelt piety and devotion believe that no other name under heaven has been given to men by which we may be saved (cf. Acts 4:12), since he is the expiation for our sins (cf. 1 Jn 2:2)” (“St Pius V Catechism”, Introduction, 10).

[4] and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power, [5] that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

4-5. Just as Paul’s preaching did not rely on eloquence, so too faith must not be based on human wisdom (cf. note on 1 Cor 1:20-25). He says that he based his message on “demonstration of the Spirit and power”-- probably a reference to the powerful action of divine grace on those who listened to his preaching, with grace manifesting itself in conversions and extraordinary charisms. This power of God explains how they came to believe.

God continues to act through the Christian message, which “is unique. It cannot be replaced. It does not permit either 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. 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 VI “Evangelic Nuntiandi”, 5).

 

[Fidelis]

From the 1859 Haydock Commentary with DRV text:

His preaching was not in loftiness of words: but in spirit and power…

*1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, *came not in loftiness of speech or of wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of Christ.

2 For I judged not myself to know any thing among you, but Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling:

Ver. 3. In weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. We must not think, says St. Chrysostom, that this made the virtue of St. Paul less commendable. It is natural to every man to fear persecutions and torments. We admire the apostle, who amidst these fears, was always ready to expose himself, was always fighting, and always victorious. (Witham) — During the stay I made with you at Corinth, I saw myself daily exposed to injuries, affronts, and persecutions. I had then the opportunity of practising the lessons which our expiring Redeemer delivered to us from the wood on which he died, and the daily contradictions I met with obliged me to think of other things than fine discourses, and elegant harangues. (Theophylactus)

*4 And my speech, and my preaching was not in the persuasive words of human wisdom, but in shewing of the spirit and power:

Ver. 4.* In the shewing of the spirit and power,* &c. The gifts of the Holy Ghost bestowed on those that believed, and the miracles which God wrought by his apostles, were the means God made use of to convert the world, which were of much greater force than human eloquence. (Witham)

5 That your faith might not stand on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

Ver. 5. That your faith, &c. Had we employed the subtleties, the reasonings, and eloquence of men, some might perhaps be induced to believe that you had been seduced by artifice. But none can reasonably say so; your faith is founded on the force and evidence of truth, and upon the virtue and power of the Holy Ghost, who has bestowed upon you both the light of knowledge, and the fire of love. (Theod.)

 

[Fidelis]

Other thoughts and comments on the 2nd Reading:

1 When I came to you, brothers: i.e., when Paul first evangelized Corinth (Acts 18:1-17).
**
proclaiming the mystery of God: **God’s mystery, or “testimony”. The divinity of Christ, proved by the Father’s raising him from the dead, was the basic doctrine of the Christian faith. This was God’s testimony to the truth of Christ’s claims and Christ’s teaching.

I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom: Paul did not convince the converts of the truth of Christianity by human wisdom or great oratory.

**2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified: **This was the burden of his preaching. Christ was the Son of God who took human nature for our sakes, died nailed to a cross, but rose again conquering death for all of us. Paul’s attention is focused on the crucified Christ; not the type of savior that either the Jews or the Gentiles expected.

*“It was the incarnate Word who accomplished the mystery of our salvation. It was He who freed us and redeemed us. We believe in Him who is our Savior through the cross and through His resurrection from the dead.” *[Marius Victorinus (ca. A.D. 356), *Against Arius 1A

]

**3 I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling: **A biblical expression for one’s reaction to the power and presence of almighty God (Ex 20:18; Ps 2:11; Ezek 12:18; Phil 2:12). Paul may be making an allusion here to the difficulties he experienced in Corinth (Acts 18:5-17). From the human point of view he felt he was a most unsuitable teacher for such a sublime message.

“Was Paul really afraid of danger? Yes, he was, for even though he was Paul, he was still a man. This is not to say anything against him but rather about the infirmity of human nature. Indeed it is to the credit of his sense of determination that even when he was afraid of death and beatings, he did nothing wrong because of this fear. Therefore those who claim that Paul was not afraid of being beaten not only do not honor him, they diminish his greatness. For if he was without fear, what endurance or self-control was there in bearing dangers?” [Saint John Chrysostom (A.D. 392), *Homilies on the First Epistle to the Corinthians 6,2]

*4 and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive (words of) wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power: What Paul felt he lacked in personal talents (2 Cor 12:9) was amply compensated for by the Holy Spirit, whose gifts were showered on the church of Corinth in great abundance and variety (see I Cor. 12: 1-11).
**
5 so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God: The conviction Paul’s message conveyed and the success that met his preaching at Corinth were due to the Holy Spirit, and not to rhetorical eloquence or philosophic reasoning. Thus, the faith of the Corinthians rests on God’s power and not on human eloquence or wisdom. God saves the world through what is foolish and weak so that he alone can be praised for the result (1 Cor 1:21-29).
*
“Human wisdom denied the cross, but faith proclaimed the power of God. Wisdom not only failed to reveal the things which people sought after, but also it encouraged them to boast of their own achievements. But faith not only gave them the truth, it also encouraged them to glorify God.” [Saint John Chrysostom (A.D. 392), *Homilies on the First Epistle to the Corinthians 6,3]

 

[Fidelis]

This Sunday’s 2nd Reading is not directly cited in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Here are some questions on the 2nd Reading for personal study and reflection:

1. How are proclamations of the gospel made effective? What is the main idea running through this passage?

1. For an evangelist, what does it mean to “know nothing . . . except Jesus Christ and him crucified”? How might you apply this passage when you share your faith?

1. What are the things St. Paul tells his readers that they should not base their faith upon? What is it does he say it should rest upon? In practice, what does that mean?

1. Does your faith rest on the power of God or on what you have learned from your parents or catechists? If the former, what can you share that demonstrates that fact? If the latter, what needs to happen

 

[Fidelis]

A meditation on the 2nd Reading for practical application from* Catholic Matters*:

APPLICATION: The classic movie, “The Song of Bernadette,” which gives the story of Lourdes and its miracles, begins with the following, words which are displayed across the screen: “For him who does not believe in God no explanation is possible; for him who believes in God no explanation is necessary.” These words very aptly describe the lesson to be drawn from today’s reading from St. Paul’s first letter to his Corinthian converts. These had not become Christians, they had not changed their mode of life and their outlook on life, because of any human or earthly influence.

Their conversion was due, exclusively, to the divine power which convinced them that there was a God–a God of power and majesty, but especially a God of love, who so loved mankind that he sent his divine Son on earth to bring all men to heaven. The facts of the Incarnation, of Christ’s life, death and resurrection were told to them by Paul, but the gift of faith which enabled them to accept these facts as objective reality and truth was given them by God. Worldly wisdom had no part in getting the Corinthians to give up their pagan life of easy morality and loose living, to take on themselves the restrictions and obligations of the Christian faith. Today, more perhaps than in any previous age in the Church’s history, there are Christians who are looking for human reasons, that they think will justify them in giving up the restrictions and obligations of the faith of Christ, to return to the freedom and self-indulgence of neo-paganism.

Human reasoning alone cannot give one an adequate and sufficient knowledge of God, but it does give us a basis on which God’s gift of faith can solidly rest. But there no human logic, no human reasoning. Which can disprove the existence of God, or the fact that he has revealed to us sufficient knowledge of himself, to enable us to reach the end he has planned for us.

It was “the power of God,” and the merciful kindness of God, that brought the gift of faith to the Corinthians. Paul was but the weak, fragile vessel in which in which that gift came to them. It was the same power, and the same merciful goodness of God, which also brought the gift of faith to each one of us through fragile and weak, human vessels. We freely and gladly accepted it, when we came to the age when we were able to appreciate its value, not only for the after-life, but also for our years on earth. Our faith has been called, by the irreverent, the “opium of the people.” If peace of mind, consolation in sorrow, a knowledge of whither we are going, an understanding of the meaning of suffering, as well as the explanation of true joy, can be called an “opium,” then the more of that opium which this world gets the more human, as well as the more divine, it will become.

May God make his gift of faith grow stronger in each one of us, so that we may learn daily more and more about the infinite love God has for us; about the humiliations the Son of God suffered in his Incarnation for our sakes, and about the great eternal future the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have prepared for us.

 

[Fidelis]

Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:13-16

* Continuing his Sermon on the Mount which we heard last week, Jesus applies the Beatitudes to hearers of the sermon. He does this by using the metaphors of salt as seasoning and the single lamp that was used in the one-room house of the time.

* Salt has several characteristics: it preserves food from corruption, it makes food taste more pleasant, and it tends to dissolve into whatever it is seasoning. In biblical parlance, an “agreement of salt” (2 Chronicles 13:5) is one between friends, the idea being the more time one spends dining with someone, the better they know them. Salt also was necessary for ritual purity (Leviticus 2:11-13).

* The purest salt was used for sacrifice and meals. Inferior, impure salt, however, was used to coat roads and pathways, i.e., “trampled underfoot” (verse 13).

* Just as there is good salt and bad salt, there is also useful light and useless light (verses 14-16). All Christians are called not only to personal holiness, but to seek the sanctification of others by word and example.

Here is the Gospel Reading as we will hear it this Sunday:

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.”

 

[Fidelis]

From the* Navarre Bible Commentary* with RSV-CE text:

Salt of the Earth and Light of the World
----------------------------------------
*(Jesus said to the multitude) [13] "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.

[14] “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. [15] Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. [16] Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.”*

**13-16. **These verses are a calling to that apostolate which is part and parcel of being a Christian. Every Christian has to strive for personal sanctification, but he also has to seek the sanctification of others. Jesus teaches us this, using the very expressive simile of salt and light. Salt preserves food from corruption; it also brings out its flavor and makes it more pleasant; and it disappears into the food; the Christian should do the same among the people around him.

“You are salt, apostolic soul. Bonum est sal': salt is a useful thing', we read in the holy Gospel; si autem sal evanuerit’: but if the salt loses its taste’, it is good for nothing, neither for the land nor for the manure heap; it is thrown out as useless. You are salt, apostolic soul. But if you lose your taste…” ([St] J. Escriva, “The Way”, 921).

Good works are the fruit of charity, which consists in loving others as God loves us (cf. John 15:12). “I see now”, St. Therese of Lisieux writes, “that true charity consists in bearing with the faults of those about us, never being surprised at their weaknesses, but edified at the least sign of virtue. I see above all that charity must not remain hidden in the bottom of our hearts: `nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.’ It seems to me that this lamp is the symbol of charity; it must shine out not only to cheer those we love best but all in the house” (“The Autobiography of a Saint”, Chapter 9).

Apostolate is one of the clearest expressions of charity. The Second Vatican Council emphasized the Christian’s duty to be apostolic. Baptism and Confirmation confer this duty, which is also a right (cf. “Lumen Gentium”, 33), so much so that, because the Christian is part of the mystical body, “a member who does not work at the growth of the body to the extent of his possibilities must be considered useless both to the Church and to himself” (“Apostolicam Actuositatem”, 2). "Laymen have countless opportunities for exercising the apostolate of evangelization and sanctification. The very witness of a Christian life, and good works done in a supernatural spirit, are effective in drawing men to the faith and to God; and that is what the Lord has said: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven” (“Apostolicam Actuositatem”, 6).

“The Church must be present to these groups [those who do not even believe in God] through those of its members who live among them or have been sent to them. All Christians by the example of their lives and witness of their word, wherever they live, have an obligation to manifest the new man which they put on in Baptism, and to reveal the power of the Holy Spirit by whom they were strengthened at Confirmation, so that others, seeing their good works, might glorify the Father and more perfectly perceive the true meaning of human life and the universal solidarity of mankind” (“Ad Gentes”, 11; cf. 36).

 

[Fidelis]

From the 1859 Haydock Commentary with DRV text:

*13 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt lose its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is good for nothing any more, but to be cast out, and to be trodden on by men.

**Ver. 13. **The former instructions Jesus Christ gave to the multitude. Now he addresses his apostles, styling them the salt of the earth, meant to preserve men from the corruption of sin, and to make them relish the truths of salvation. He tells them not to suffer their faith or their charity to slacken, in which all their power consists, lest they come to be rejected by God, and despised by man. (Calmet) — I send you, says Jesus Christ, not to two, ten, or twenty cities, not to one single nation, as the prophets were sent, but to the whole world, a world oppressed with numberless iniquities. It is not the property of salt to restore what is already corrupted, but to preserve from corruption. Therefore the virtue of the merits of Christ delivers us from the corruption of sin; but the care and labour of the apostles preserves us from again returning to it. (St. Chrysostom, hom. xv.) — It appears from Luke xiv. 34, that this comparison is taken from agriculture. We observe these properties of salt in the different manures that fertilize the soil, but suffer the salts to evaporate, and all their virtue is lost. (Haydock)

*14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a mountain cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may give light to all that are in the house.

**Ver. 15. **This light of the world, city on a mountain, and candle upon a candlestick, signify the Catholic Church, so built upon Christ, the mountain, that it must be visible, and cannot be hidden or unknown. (St. Augustine, cont. Fulg.) Therefore the Church being a candle not under a bushel, but shining to all in the house, i.e. in the world, what shall I say more, saith St. Augustine than that all are blind, who shut their eyes against the candle which is set on the candlestick? (Tract ii. in ep. Jo.)

*16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

 

[Fidelis]

Other thought and comments on this Sunday’s Gospel Reading:

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: In the OT, salt is associated with the covenant of priesthood made with Aaron and his descendants (Num 18:19) as well as the covenant of kingship made with David and his descendants (2 Chron 13:5).

In Judaism, salt can become unclean and thus need to be thrown out. Salt is both a spice and a preservative and so is a good teacher. The description of the fate of the salt (being trampled underfoot) uses imagery for the Divine judgment.

If salt ceased to have the power and the flavor of salt, it was no longer of any use. In fact, it was a deception and deceiver, and deserved to be crushed into the ground. So, also, the true Christian must become the preserver and promoter of the true religion, the true service of God on earth. He is to season and preserve the world with peace (Mk 9:50) and gracious speech (Col 4:5).

Salt can become not only useless but harmful; the man who uses it, will find his meat not only unpalatable but unfit for human consumption—it will have become putrid and decomposed. So, likewise, will be the evil effects of the lapsed Christian on his neighbors.

The mineral, salt, can do nothing to bring back the natural qualities it once possessed, but the Christian, who allows the power of God to work in him, can return to his former state, provided, of course, that God so designs and that the miscreant’s pride will allow him to admit his error. But these are provisos nobody can presume on.

**14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden: **Light imagery is usually applied to God. It is also associated with the OT vocation of Israel to make the truth and justice of God shine out to all nations (Is 42:6, 49:6). Here it is applied to the disciple who is to let God’s light shine through him. The mountain may be a reference to Jerusalem.

True Christians, living as true followers of Christ, are the light that will banish the darkness of paganism, philosophical and practical atheism, and of the external religious legalism.
**
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:** The imagery presupposes a one-room Palestinian house and a common clay oil lamp. The disciple lives not only for self but for others. The bushel was a wooden vessel for measuring and containing grain. To light a lamp, and cover it with this container, was to render the lamp-light invisible and useless.

**16 Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father: **This verse contains a delicate balance between doing good works and not being proud or taking credit. The life of discipleship should not lead to arrogance but to the conversion of many to “your heavenly Father.”

The Christian must not hide the faith, and the true knowledge of God and of his love for men, which he has received. It is not a gift for him alone, but its effects must spread out to his neighbors, as the lamp’s light spreads around the room. It is through their truly Christian way of living, doing good to all men as the beatitudes bring out, and keeping the commandments of God, every day of their lives, that Christians can enlighten their non-Christian neighbors. The true followers of Christ will give external glory to God by their own saintly lives, and their example will bring in many others to the acknowledgment of God. They will thank this true God, who is not only their creator but their loving Father.

Earlier chapters in Matthew’s Gospel make no mention of the Fatherhood of God. In the Sermon on the Mount, however, Jesus calls God “Father” a total of 17 times (chaps. 5-7). God’s Fatherhood is the deepest mystery of his identity; from eternity he fathers a divine Son (Jn 1:1), and throughout history he adopts us as children in Christ (Jn 1:12; Gal 4:4-7).

http://www.garstang.us/images/illustrations/HerodLampLitRt.jpg

 

[Fidelis]

Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs referencing Matthew 5: 13-16:

Characteristics of the People of God

782 The People of God is marked by characteristics that clearly distinguish it from all other religious, ethnic, political, or cultural groups found in history:

• It is the People of God: God is not the property of any one people. But he acquired a people for himself from those who previously were not a people: "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation."202

• One becomes a member of this people not by a physical birth, but by being “born anew,” a birth "of water and the Spirit,"203 that is, by faith in Christ, and Baptism.

• This People has for its Head Jesus the Christ (the anointed, the Messiah). Because the same anointing, the Holy Spirit, flows from the head into the body, this is “the messianic people.”

• “The status of this people is that of the dignity and freedom of the sons of God, in whose hearts the Holy Spirit dwells as in a temple.”

• "Its law is the new commandment to love as Christ loved us."204 This is the “new” law of the Holy Spirit.205

• Its mission is to be salt of the earth and light of the world.206 This people is “a most sure seed of unity, hope, and salvation for the whole human race.”

• Its destiny, finally, "is the Kingdom of God which has been begun by God himself on earth and which must be further extended until it has been brought to perfection by him at the end of time."207

1. 1 Pet 2:9.

1. Jn 3:3-5.

1. Cf. Jn 13:34

1. Rom 8:2; Gal 5:25.

1. Cf. Mt 5:13-16.

1. LG 9 § 2.

1243 The white garment symbolizes that the person baptized has "put on Christ,"42 has risen with Christ. The candle, lit from the Easter candle, signifies that Christ has enlightened the neophyte. In him the baptized are "the light of the world."43

The newly baptized is now, in the only Son, a child of God entitled to say the prayer of the children of God: “Our Father.”

1. Gal 3:27.

1. Mt 5:14; cf. Phil 2:15.

**2821 **This petition is taken up and granted in the prayer of Jesus which is present and effective in the Eucharist; it bears its fruit in new life in keeping with the Beatitudes.94

1. Cf. Jn 17:17-20; Mt 5:13-16; 6:24; 7:12-13.

 

[Fidelis]

A mediation on the Gospel Reading for practical application from Catholic Matters:

APPLICATION: No less an authority than Christ himself calls his true followers the “salt of the earth.” and the “light of the world.” These are titles of honor, surely, and of the greatest distinction. Christ is putting his true follower on almost a level with himself.He was the light of the world; he was the salt of the earth. He it was who gave men the knowledge of the true nature of God, as shown by the Incarnation. He it was who gave this life its flavor, who gave this life its meaning, its preservation. By his death and resurrection he took away the sting of death, and removed its eternal corruption, by the guarantee and promise of a resurrection to an eternal life.

This every Christian knows, and this knowledge every Christian helps to bring to those who are ignorant of it, if he lives his life daily and sincerely. The Christian who does this, is really another Christ; he is continuing his work of salvation during his years on earth. He is the salt of the earth and the light of the world. How many of us, can truly say that these honorable titles, which Christ gives to his followers, are given to us?

In true humility, we can all say that we are far from worthy of any such honorable titles. Yet in all sincerity too, many if not the majority among us, are doing their little bit of Christ’s work, in cultivating their own small comer of his vineyard. The parents who teach the Christian way of life to their children by word, and especially by example, are spreading the Christian faith. The workmen, whether in office or factory, who show that they are Christians by their honesty, charity for their fellowmen, their respect for God, and the things of God, in their speech, are spreading their Christian faith. All those who show moderation in their personal expenditures, and donate some of their savings to help their brothers, their fellowrnen who are in need, these are true disciples of Christ and are cooperating with him in bringing God’s children back to their Father who is in heaven.

Unlike the salt that has lost its flavor, and the light that is kept under the bushel, the Christian who has thus behaved can change his attitude, provided he is aided by God’s grace which is never refused. He can become once more what he ought to be— a life-preserver for his neighbor.

Life on earth is short. The demands of our Christian life may not always be easy, but we know that if we live up to them, we are other Christs. We are continuing his great work by our own good example to our neighbor, and we are giving glory to God, and are earning for ourselves the eternal light of heaven.

 

[Fidelis]

From the Daily Scripture Readings & Meditations website:

"You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world"
**
Scripture: ** Matthew 5:13-16

13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. 15 Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Meditation: What can salt and light have to teach us about God and his reign on earth? Jesus used ordinary images, such as salt and light, to convey extraordinary truths about the kingdom of God. Salt was a valuable commodity in the ancient world. People traded with it, like we trade with gold and stock. Salt also served a very useful purpose in hot climates before the invention of electricity and refrigeration. Salt not only gave food flavor, it also preserved meat from spoiling. Jesus used the image of salt to describe how his disciples are to live in the world. As salt purifies, preserves, and penetrates, so the disciple must be as salt in the world of human society to purify, preserve, and penetrate that society for the kingdom of God and of his righteousness and peace.

Jesus also used the image of light and a lamp to further his illustration. Lamps in the ancient world served a vital function, much like they do today. They enable people to see and work in the dark and to avoid stumbling. The Jews also understood “light” as an expression of the inner beauty, truth, and goodness of God. In his light we see light ( Psalm 36:9). His word is a lamp that guides our steps (Psalm 119:105). God’s grace not only illumines the darkness in our lives, but it also fills us with spiritual light, joy, and peace. Jesus used the image of a lamp to describe how his disciples are to live in the light of his truth and love. Just as natural light illumines the darkness and enables one to see visually, so the light of Christ shines in the hearts of believers and enables us to see the heavenly reality of God’s kingdom. In fact, our mission is to be light-bearers of Christ so that others may see the truth of the gospel and be freed from the blindness of sin and deception.

Jesus remarks that nothing can remain hidden or secret. We can try to hide things from others, from ourselves, and from God. How tempting to shut our eyes from the consequences of our sinful ways and bad habits, even when we know what those consequences are. And how tempting to hide them form others and even from God. But, nonetheless, everything is known to God who sees all. There is great freedom and joy for those who live in God’s light and who seek this truth. Those who listen to God and heed his voice will receive more from him. Do you know the joy and freedom of living in God’s light?

*“Lord, you guide me by the light of your saving truth. Fill my heart and mind with your light and truth and free me from the blindness of sin and deception that I may see your ways clearly and understand your will for my life. May I radiate your light and truth to others in word and deed”. *