{"id":1009,"date":"2020-02-04T15:14:22","date_gmt":"2020-02-04T15:14:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/?p=1009"},"modified":"2020-02-04T15:14:22","modified_gmt":"2020-02-04T15:14:22","slug":"9-february-2020-a-a-fifth-sunday-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/?p=1009","title":{"rendered":"9 February 2020 (A) (A) Fifth Sunday of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A. The bible<\/em> as Guide in Life and Liturgy (Sunday Readings)<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

B. Reflection\n& Dialogue: <\/em><\/strong>Christians the light of the world; the Centrality of the\nCross.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 The Bible as\nGuide in Life and Liturgy (Sunday Readings).\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 First Reading<\/em> (Isaiah 58:7-10).\nThen will your light shine like the dawn.\n<\/em>This passage was chosen to go with the Gospel reading, the central theme of\nwhich is Christians as the light of the world. There are two references to the\ntheme in this reading: \u201cThen will your light shine like the dawn\u201d, and \u201cYour\nlight shall rise in the darkness\u201d, In the original setting of this passage in\nthe book of Isaiah these words are addressed by God through his prophet to\nIsrael some time after the exile, making it clear the fasting they are practising\nis not acceptable to him. There was only one official fast day in Israel\u2019s\nliturgy, that of the Day of Expiation, but after the Exile other fast days were\nintroduced and some groups believed that their fast could have God answer their\nprayers and bring happiness. That is the background to this reading. They are represented\nas saying to God: \u201cWhy do we fast and you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but\nyou do not notice?\u201d God\u2019s reply is: \u201cLook, you serve your own interest on your\nfast day, and oppress all your workers. Look, you fast only to quarrel and to\nfight, and to strike with a wicked fist\u201d. God answers that this is not the fast\nhe chooses, but rather to loose the bonds of injustice and undo the thongs of\nthe yoke, and the practice of the other good works listed in this liturgical\nreading. This is in keeping with the best traditional prophetic teaching. It is\nin this way that the light of believers\u2019 behaviour will shine: external actions\nin keeping with internal life and with the demands of the covenant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Responsorial\nPsalm <\/em>(Psalm 112[113]).\nThe good man is a light in the darkness\nfor the upright.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second\nReading <\/em>(1\nCorinthians 2:1- 5). During my stay with\nyou, the only knowledge I claimed to have was about Jesus as the crucified\nChrist<\/em>. It may repay the trouble for an understanding of this reading to\nrevisit what has been said on the second reading (from the same letter) for the\nThird Sunday of the Year. There Paul was speaking on the mystery of the Cross,\na topic he continues to discuss in this present reading. As background to what\nPaul has to say in this reading it is good to recall what the Acts of the\nApostles (chapter 17) have to say of Paul\u2019s missionary experience at Athens. Athens was the very\ncentre of Greek learning and wisdom. Paul visited the city after coming from\nThessalonica and preached the Gospel message there. Some Epicurian and Stoic\nphilosophers came to discuss matters with him. When he spoke of the Gospel and\nof the resurrection (in Greek anastasis<\/em>)\nthey thought he was preaching some foreign deities. He was taken to the\nAreopagus (probably the city council), where he delivered a very learned\ndiscourse, ending with reference to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. On\nhearing of the resurrection from the dead, some scoffed. For Paul this\nmissionary attempt at Athens\nwas a complete failure. He went on to Corinth.\nAs he says in today\u2019s reading, he came among them in great fear and trembling.\nWe know from the account in the Acts of the Apostles that the Lord had told\nPaul in a vision in Corinth to continue preaching as there were many in that\ncity who were his (God\u2019s) people. But to return to our reading itself: Paul\nreminds his readers that he came among them \u201cproclaiming the mystery of God\u201d (a\nvariant reading has, with the same meaning, \u201ctestimony of God\u201d; Jerusalem Bible,\n1966 edition; \u201cwhat God has guaranteed\u201d). The mystery in the biblical tradition\nis a truth or a reality hidden in known and made known only when revealed by\nGod. The mystery was God\u2019s plan of salvation, a plan fulfilled in the life,\ndeath and resurrection of Christ, and in the preaching of the Church, and Paul\nmade it quite clear that Christ and Christ crucified, would be at the very\ncentre of his preaching at Corinth.\nAt Athens the\nresult of Paul\u2019s preaching and learned discourse, ending with reference to the\nresurrection, ended with mockery on the part of the audience. His preaching at Corinth was a\ndemonstration of the power of the Spirit, a demonstration of the Spirit and of\npower (NRSV) resulting in faith. The Holy Spirit enlightened the hearts of his\nlisteners to see and accept the truth of Paul\u2019s message. This belief came from\nthe power of the Spirit, not from any human wisdom or philosophical arguments.\nThus, belief in the mystery of God is based on the power of God, not on human\nwisdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gospel <\/em>(Matthew\n5:13-16). This brief reading gives ample material for reflection. It comes\nimmediately after the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are general statements on the\nvalues of the kingdom, with a strong reminder that persecution for allegiance\nto them, and to Jesus, may result. In this present text Jesus addresses his\ndisciples, his followers then and for all times, directly, with simple but\nastounding statements: they are the salt of the earth and the light of the\nworld. He is addressing Jewish followers but his words presuppose a vision of\nthe pagan and world mission of the Church. They are not just salt and light for\ntheir own households, villages, towns or for their people Israel, but for\nthe whole earth, the whole world. The images used express the purpose of their\nmission. Salt is a condiment for food, it makes food savoury and preserves from\ncorruption. Light enables to have a sense of direction. The images indicate the\nrole or mission of believers in Christ in the world. As an early Christian\nwriter (second or third century, in a still pagan society) puts it: \u201cWhat the\nsoul is to the body, this Christians are in the world\u201d. In a Palestinian house\nthe lamp used to give light was small. It was put on top of a bushel measure\n(\u201ctub\u201d). Jesus makes it clear that his followers should be conscious of their\nmission in and to the world.The\nletters of Saints Paul and Peter make clear how seriously the early Church too\nthis call. Believers through their lives were to as a bright light in the\nworld. It is a very noble calling, but fraught with pitfalls from the points of\nview both of the individual and the believing community. Making one\u2019s light\nshine through good works can easily be motivated by self-glorification, rather\nthan the glory of the heavenly Father. Jesus himself roundly condemned this, as\nhypocrisy. Misdeeds are a reality of fallen nature, and to have it appear as\nlight, and avoid the shame of failure, family or Church authority may seek to\nhide evildoing, to the hurt of victims. To maintain appearances family, church\nauthorities or others may exert undue pressure on the weak or recalcitrant to\nhave them conform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Yet given\nall these dangers, Jesus’ words on salt and light and the mission of believers\nin any world, even one hostile to the Gospel message, remain. His message\nshould be accepted with joy, including the Gospel joy that can be present when\nthe Gospel message is responded to by abuse, persecution or false accusations.\nThe Beatitudes call for this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B. The Bible in Dialogue with\nQuestions of the Day. Reflection\nand Dialogue: <\/em><\/strong>Christians the light of the world; the Centrality of the\nCross.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflection. <\/em>The reflection given\nabove on the Gospel reading, on Christians as the light of the world, gives\nample food for thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dialogue with contemporary society: Human wisdom and Divine Wisdom.<\/em>\nEver since the eighteenth-century philosophical Movement of the Enlightenment\nthere has been an understanding of the \u201clight\u201d proper to humanity quite\ndifferent from that of the Gospel and Jesus\u2019 words read today. Although there has\nbeen, and is, quite a difference of opinions among members of the Movement, a\ncommonly accepted principle among them is that the human mind, and the senses\nare sufficient guide in human affairs, without any interference from heaven or\nany otherworldly voice. No such outside interference would be acceptable to\nthem. This situation is very much part of the world in which we live. On the other\nhand, we have the Christian position as formulated by Paul that human wisdom is\ndeficient in matters relating to knowledge of God. Paul\u2019s words on knowledge of\nthe mystery of God and the centrality of divine wisdom as revealed in the Cross\nare still valid and fundamental principles of our faith. While it is true that the\nmodern view of human life has accepted quite an amount from the Beatitudes and\nthe Sermon on the Mount, there are a number of elements of the Enlightenment\nand what it stands for which cannot be accepted by Christians. And Christians\nwill continue to believe that the \u201cpower\u201d which in the first instance gave\nfaith in Christ and the Cross is still at work.  Faith comes from this power, and is kept alive\nand active in our own day by prayer and devotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(<\/em><\/strong>For reflections on the Sunday and Feast\nDay  readings <\/em>see Martin McNamara, Sunday Readings with Matthew:\nInterpretations and Reflections<\/em>, Dublin,\nVeritas, 2016)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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