Gospel Reflection - 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A


Matthew 5:13-16

            Until we can share in the Beatific Vision and experience the fullness of God in Heaven -- earned for us by the Blood of His Son and given through His grace and our cooperation thereto -- we live in darkness.  Jesus Himself reveals, “I am the light of the world.”  A light would imply a darkness, and if Jesus is the light, then where He is absent belongs to the darkness. 

            Today, in His infinite goodness, our Lord is extending His light, desiring that we, too, may share in it.  By calling us into deeper communion with Himself, Jesus wishes to set us aflame with His light.  From this Great Fire, the lanterns of our souls are lit and we carry His radiance into the world.  

             But on what can we base this?  This is a spiritual light: one we cannot visibly see.  So how do we know if we are bearers of Christ?  For one, we know that we have received the Blessed Trinity at our baptism, when God makes His abode in the soul.  We also know that we receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the Sacred Species. The Precious Body is also always present in our Tabernacles, where we can pay special homage to the Hidden Lord.

            So, He is always there.  The fire of God’s love is burning endlessly.  Our first reading teaches us how to keep our own lanterns lit, through works of love and mercy.  In our second reading, St. Paul exemplifies the humility and faith with which our love and mercy should be complemented.  God’s mercy is boundless, His love infinite.  Through our own acts of love and mercy, we become reflections of Him; we live and share in His light.

How bright is the lantern of your soul right now?

If it’s a little dim right now, what acts of love and mercy can you perform to fuel that light?

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