5 February 2017 -Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Year A
In
last week's gospel, Matthew gave us the Beatitudes. We often think
of the Beatitudes as rewards for different groups of good people.
They are not. Rather, they are the characteristics that each of us
should strive to embody. One could say they are the steps, in no
particular order, that can transform us. As we know Jesus was
familiar with the writings of the prophet Isaiah. In today's first
reading Isaiah gives us an instance of the Hebrew Scriptural basis of
Jesus' teaching in last Sunday's and this Sunday's gospel reading as
well as the corporal works of mercy.
Isaiah
counsels us to share our bread with the hungry, to shelter the
oppressed and the homeless; to clothe the naked, to remove
oppression, false accusations and malicious speech from our
communities. Then, Isaiah tells us, not only will our light break
forth like the dawn but also, a light shall rise for us in the
darkness and our gloom will become like midday.
In
today's gospel reading, which follows immediately after the
Beatitudes, Matthew tells us we are the salt of the earth and the
light of the world. As Richard Rohr says, we must keep in mind
that salt is not the whole meal. To be salt of the earth is not to
be better than others but to enrich the lives of others as salt
enriches the flavour of a meal. If we do nothing for the good of
others, we are like salt that has lost its flavour and therefore,
useless. As always it is not big deeds that define us. Rather, it
is how we are in the world. For example, take Isaiah's suggestion to
“satify, or as some translations say, 'satisfy the needs' of the
afflicted.” This could be as simple as giving a friendly smile to
a woman who is wearing a hijab or planting indigenous plants in your
garden that will attract bees or setting up a compost bin designed
for apartments if you live in an apartment. To be salt includes the
small efforts we make on behalf of our relatives human and non-human.
Isaiah
has already told us that when we share our bread with the hungry,
shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked, remove
oppression, false accusations and malicious speech from our
communities near and far, we become the light of the world. Some of
these are things we can't do alone. We can either do them as a group
or support, in various ways, groups that do. There is a lot of
social justice work to be done in the coming months as political
decisions at odds with the common good are being made south of the
border and here at home. One example is the approval of the Kinder
Morgan Pipeline, which signals a call to action for the defense of
our waters and the creatures that inhabit them. Another is the
increase in Islamaphobia because of statements and policies being
made south of the border, that have given licence to hate to those so
inclined. Today's gospel tells us that our light must shine
before others, [so] that they may see our good deeds and glorify
[God]. In other
words, Matthew is reminding us that the good we do can influence
others to do good as well but also that the good we do should be
based on our love of our Creator and all the Creator's works.
As
salt and light we are called to shed any apathy we may still have,
and live the gospel. But our activism needs to have a firm basis in
prayer and contemplation so that we are strengthened and healed as we
work for political policies that are just and in the interest of the
common good. We need an activism based on a firm foundation of
spiritual values as we work for the strength and healing of Mother
Earth and her children.
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