February 6, 2011 Sunday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

[이 안드레아]

2011년 2월 6일 연중 제5주일

제1독서
 이사야서.58,7-10
7 네 양식을 굶주린 이와 함께 나누고, 가련하게 떠도는 이들을 네 집에 맞아들이는 것, 헐벗은 사람을 보면 덮어 주고, 네 혈육을 피하여 숨지 않는 것이 아니겠느냐? 8 그리하면 너의 빛이 새벽빛처럼 터져 나오고, 너의 상처가 곧바로 아물리라. 너의 의로움이 네 앞에 서서 가고, 주님의 영광이 네 뒤를 지켜 주리라. 9 그때 네가 부르면 주님께서 대답해 주시고, 네가 부르짖으면 “나 여기 있다.” 하고 말씀해 주시리라. 네가 네 가운데에서 멍에와 삿대질과 나쁜 말을 치워 버린다면, 10 굶주린 이에게 네 양식을 내어 주고, 고생하는 이의 넋을 흡족하게 해 준다면, 네 빛이 어둠 속에서 솟아오르고, 암흑이 너에게는 대낮처럼 되리라.

제2독서
코린토 1서.2,1-5
1 형제 여러분, 나도 여러분에게 갔을 때에, 뛰어난 말이나 지혜로 하느님의 신비를 선포하려고 가지 않았습니다. 2 나는 여러분 가운데에 있으면서 예수 그리스도, 곧 십자가에 못 박히신 분 외에는 아무것도 생각하지 않기로 결심하였습니다.
3 사실 여러분에게 갔을 때에 나는 약했으며, 두렵고 또 무척 떨렸습니다. 4 나의 말과 나의 복음 선포는 지혜롭고 설득력 있는 언변으로 이루어진 것이 아니라, 성령의 힘을 드러내는 것으로 이루어졌습니다. 5 여러분의 믿음이 인간의 지혜가 아니라 하느님의 힘에 바탕을 두게 하려는 것이었습니다.

복음
마태오.5,13-16
그때에 예수님께서 제자들에게 말씀하셨다. 13 “너희는 세상의 소금이다. 그러나 소금이 제 맛을 잃으면 무엇으로 다시 짜게 할 수 있겠느냐? 아무 쓸모가 없으니, 밖에 버려져 사람들에게 짓밟힐 따름이다.
14 너희는 세상의 빛이다. 산 위에 자리 잡은 고을은 감추어질 수 없다. 15 등불은 켜서 함지 속이 아니라 등경 위에 놓는다. 그렇게 하여 집 안에 있는 모든 사람을 비춘다.
16 이와 같이 너희의 빛이 사람들 앞을 비추어, 그들이 너희의 착한 행실을 보고, 하늘에 계신 너희 아버지를 찬양하게 하여라.”

http://www.usccb.org/nab/

February 6, 2011
Sunday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Is 58:7-10

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.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (4a) The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Light shines through the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
R. The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.

R. The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.
or:
R. Alleluia.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
His justice shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2

1 Cor 2:1-5

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.

Mt 5:13-16

Gospel

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.”

http://www.staygreat.com/ 

http://www.franciscanretreats.net/  

 http://www.evangeli.net/gospel/gospel.html

 http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

PRE-PRAYERING

This Sunday, here in the United States, is not an ordinary Sunday. It is known as SUPER BOWL SUNDAY! It is the day the football championship is decided and mighty are the preparations. There are house-parties, gatherings in pubs, wagerings of all kinds and those are mostly for people who do not even like football!

Millions, I mean millions, of dollars are spent on TV advertising and on the entertaining show at half-time of the game. It is a social-sports event. The two teams have been preparing specifically for this game for the past two weeks, but though they say they are ready, they do wonder what is coming; does the other team have some surprises for which there is not readiness enough.

We prepare to attend and assist at this Sunday’s Eucharist by bringing our best and our worst selves to be blessed and called for the unexpected surprises of our ordinary days. We prepare for the Eucharist by our being attentive to how God has been active within the moments of each day. Going to church is made more meaningful by our every-day experiencing of just how God has been coming to us.

REFLECTION

The context for the verses of our First Reading is an instruction from God about true fasting. The prophet speaks from God about what kind of penitential actions pleases God. It is not rolling around in ashes and hanging ones head in shame. It is more positive and life-giving. It has more to do with what one does for the good of others than what penance does for ones self.

Our verses are very clear and the only debate we have with them is about how we can excuse ourselves from practicing them.

The gloom and darkness which the prophet announces is personal, soul-felt, shame and personal negativity. For the person who can give food to the poor, clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless, the personal gloom and doom will be lifted and midday brightness will occur. The sins of darkness are those of deliberate neglect of strangers and kin. There is a divine payoff. When the request from God is heard and accomplished, the prayers addressed to God will likewise be heard and God will say, “Here I am!”

The Gospel reading follows last Sunday’s opening of the Sermon on the Mount. We heard the instructions of how to act as a disciple of Jesus. The Beatitudes are the beginning of Jesus’ socio-religious platform. We hear the very next verses about how our good works are not to be hidden, but they are to be revelations of the Light of Christ. God is to be tasted and seen by the spice of life and the light of life within us.

I recall a parade we attended when I was quite young. Ahead of the first marching band was a little-older-than-me girl with white boots, spangled skirt, red, white and blue top and a headdress of plumes who appeared so confident and in charge that I hated her. She twirled a baton and threw it high and caught it without missing a step. I hated her high stepping and showing off as she strutted right down our street. I hated her showing off and I hated I wasn’t she. Her light was shining and in my sidewalk-standing gloom, she seemed full of pride, a sin which was not allowed in our Irish-Catholic house and hearts.

Jesus is telling His disciples that there is a difference between showing-off and showing-up. Showing-off is a play of pretense. Showing-up is a display of truth. Jesus is telling His friends that their truth is His light in them and their spirit is seasoned by His preserving flavor within them. If they stay faithful to whom Jesus claims them to be, then their flavor and light will display the God Who strutted the Divine stuff through creation and now through Jesus.

Each of us is in a constant process of revealing our selves, even if we are not aware of it or really sure of the self we are revealing. Every gesture speaks volumes and others can read the signs and hear the wordless statements. We are followers of Jesus Who heard and believed Who He was. As followers we hear and yet find it hard, to believe who He says we are. We have first-hand evidence of our un-defining self-centeredness. How can I be what He says, when I say what I am by my pretenses and showing-offs.

What Jesus came to save us from is the eternal consequences of not knowing who we are and acting thusly. He is Savior from and Savior for. The “for” is the living as the highest form of God’s creative love. Jesus is telling us that though mountains and stars and fantastic beauty can display the awesomeness of God, it dwindles before the gestures of compassion, generosity, self-sacrificing and creativity of a light and salty human being who knows who she/he really is.
 
We who follow the divine Drum Major are invited, required and encouraged to strut His stuff by going public with the gifts God has shared with us. Yes, shared, they belong to God and are designed to display the person and mission of Jesus. He has given us our marching orders and the grace to let it all out.

“Give praise to the Lord for His kindness; He has filled the hungry with good things, He has satisfied the thirsty.”  Ps. 107, 8-9

http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/ 

"You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world"

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”.

Psalm 112

1 Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments!
2 His descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house; and his righteousness endures for ever.
4 Light rises in the darkness for the upright; the LORD is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice.
6 For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered for ever.
7 He is not afraid of evil tidings; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
8 His heart is steady, he will not be afraid, until he sees his desire on his adversaries.
9 He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever;  his horn is exalted in honor.
10 The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away;  the desire of the wicked man comes to nought.

 http://www.daily-meditations.org/index2.html

 http://www.contemplative.com/weekday_readings.htm

 http://goodnews.ie/calendar.php

“You are the salt of the earth….You are the light of the world.”  In the rite of Baptism there is use of salt and light.  “Once you were darkness,” wrote St Paul, “but now in the Lord you are light” (Eph 5:8). 

Saints and mystics of all times have played on this image of light as a way of speaking about God.  The word ‘divine’ comes from a Sanskrit root, ‘div’, which means ‘to shine’. 

Light is from beyond our world; it is from the sun.  Without sun or moonlight this planet would be a dark place.  There would be no life, because every living thing owes its existence to light and is a form of light.  We can never be self-sufficient.  We are part of the whole physical system and we could never exist on our own.  It is useful to remember this after we have read a lot of statements about our being the crown of creation, etc. 

The same is true of our spiritual reality.  It would be as strange to think oneself spiritually self-sufficient as physically so.  “Now in the Lord you are light.” 

Does this mean that you are not really light at all?  We have to look carefully.  Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (Jn 8:12; 9:5).  But he also said, without qualification, “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:14, today’s reading).  Are we to imagine that these lights are ‘equal’ in some sense? 

Meister Eckhart (14th century) gave a useful image for this.  He imagines the sun reflected in a mirror.  “The sun sends forth its light-rays both from the mirror and from the sun's depth, and yet suffers no diminution.”  The reflection in the mirror is a sun, and yet the mirror is still just a mirror.  Are the lights ‘equal’?  Yes and no.  So it is with God, he said.  “God is in the soul with His nature, with His being and with His Godhead, and yet He is not the soul.”

The light in us is totally a received light, it is a gift.  Yet it is as truly ours as if it came from ourselves.  This is because what God gives is not something added to the outside of our being; it is our being itself.  God's giving is not a loan, God pours himself out in his gift, the Meister said.  “I declare in all truth, by the eternal and everlasting truth, that into anyone who has abandoned self right down to their ground, God must pour out His whole self in all His might, so utterly that neither of His life, nor His being, nor His nature, nor of His entire Godhead does He keep anything back, but must pour out the whole of it as fruitfulness into that person who in abandonment to God has assumed the lowest place.”

 http://www.presentationministries.com/

GOOD OR GOD?

"Your light must shine before men so that they may see goodness in your acts and give praise to your heavenly Father." 뾏atthew 5:16

Our good deeds should be recognized as good and should inspire others to give praise to our heavenly Father, the Source of all goodness. This is not happening as often as it should. Many good deeds are done, but people don't think of God as responsible for them. Our secular society focuses on human beings rather than on God when it notices someone's good deeds. In fact, it's often considered inappropriate to mention God publicly or in the mass media.

To prevent others from using our good deeds to ignore God rather than praise Him, Jesus told us to put our light on the lampstand (Mt 5:15). The lampstand symbolizes the Church (see Rv 1:20). We must do good deeds because we are members of Christ's body, the Church. We are Jesus' hands and feet. We don't do what we want to or feel is necessary; we do what the Lord commands as He speaks through His Church. As members of Christ's Church, we are not merely do-gooders, but witnesses for Jesus and evangelizers. We do good deeds to practice what we're already preaching.

When we do good as members of the Church, in obedience to the Church, and in service to the evangelizing mission of the Church, people will not call us "humanitarians" but "Christians," and will give praise to our heavenly Father.

Prayer: Father, may my good works draw attention to You and not to me.

Promise: "Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday." 뾋s 58:10

Praise: Praise Jesus Who is the perfect Image of the Father (see Heb 1:3). Alleluia!

 http://www.judeop.org/daily_bread.htm

  http://www.judeop.org/dailyhomilette2.htm

 http://www.judeop.org/dailyreflections.htm

 http://biblereflection.blogspot.com/

Homily from Father James Gilhooley

A teacher asked a boy to define salt. The pupil hesitated. Finally he stammered, "Salt is what makes French Fries taste good when you sprinkle it on."

Gandhi said, "If I had ever met someone who was a genuine Christian, I would have become one immediately."

Do you get the feeling that but a handful of us have
accepted Jesus's admonition that we are the salt of the earth?

You may reply there are millions who are that salt. If so, what was Mr Gandhi's problem? Why is it every Catholic group in whatever country in the last quarter of the 20th century could only find one Catholic worthy of an award? She was the ill, elderly, and exhausted Mother Teresa. The poor thing was forever flying over the Himalayas to pick up one more piece of Steuben crystal. She must have dreaded hearing the phone ring in her Calcutta office. With a billion plus Catholics in the world, there should be thousands of Mother Teresas in each country.

A quick check supports the contention this is a bearish period for Catholic Christians. Think pedophilia among priests.

Check that the Nazarene did not say we should become the salt of the earth, but that we are the salt of the earth. He wasn't giving us a locker room pep talk. He was telling us the way He wanted to find us daily.

In Jesus' time, salt was so valuable it was used as salary for the Roman soldiers. It was called white gold. Christians should be as valuable.

The whiteness of salt suggests purity. Nathaniel Hawthorne penned: "Salt is white and pure. There is something holy about salt." The Roman opined salt had to be pure because it was given to us by the sea and sun.

Purity is nowadays not politically correct. Our morals would make Nero's Rome blush.

Incidentally, purity in this context is not confined to that three letter word that begins with "s" and ends in "x." Rather, it runs the whole gamut of moral questions. Have you noticed how many are afraid of the word "moral" anymore and so substitute the blander word "ethical"?

One mark of contemporary culture is the lowering of standards. Think of the college student whose heavy tuition is being paid by parents or taxpayers. And the student in question does nothing more than party hearty. Think of the person who gives less than a day's work for a day's salary. Or the plumber or carpenter who does inferior work. Or the woman who litters or refuses to pick up after her dog and so on ad infinitum.

Such people may be loved by their mothers, but they are hardly the salt of the earth that Christ speaks of today.

Swinburne has pronounced an incorrect judgment on Christ: "Thou hast conquered, O pale Galilean; the world hast grown gray from thy breath." It is His followers who have the bad breath.

Salt gives flavor to food. If you have any doubts, call your friends placed on a salt free diet. They search for a salt substitute. Think of the boy and his salted French Fries.  We can survive without gold but not without salt.

Genuine Catholics play the same role as salt in the society about them. They give tang to the lives of other people. They cause fellow pilgrims about them to walk tall. They compel the rest of us to become more attractive Christians. Those of us worth our salt make others thirsty for Christ. (Unknown)

Salt has no value if it is locked away. The Nazarene invites us to give flavor and pizazz to people just by living among them. There is no authentic substitute for the real thing. A faux Christian spoils everybody and everything.

I like the style of one priest confessor. Whenever penitents come to him with long faces, he tells them their penance is to smile often that day. His penance was prompted by the report
that the average four year old laughs four hundred times a day and adults but fifteen.

In a world worn down by worries, Christians should be calm. In a society overdosing on antidepressants, we should be joyful.

Let the present generation of Christians make Friedrich Nietzsche eat his words. He wrote, "Christians do not reflect on their faces joy of redemption." Erase those frowns. Of all people we Christians should smile.    

Our purpose on earth is not to get used to the dark but to shine as lights. We should replace glow-in-the-dark statues with glow-in-the-dark Christians. (Unknown)

Don't be afraid of this task. The Bible tells us 365 times
not to be afraid - one for each day of the year. Think God is  telling us something?

Homily from Father Joseph Pellegrino
http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html

The Wisdom of God

I want to begin today with some thoughts regarding the ancient civilization of Greece.  When we think about the ancient Greeks, certain images come to our mind.  We think about the beautiful Temples.  We think about the wonderful and still meaningful Greek dramas.  And, we think about Greek philosophy.

The Greeks were very serious about philosophy, far more than we are today, unfortunately.  When St. Paul visited Greece, he found that many of the Greeks were firmly entrenched in the camps of several philosophers.  For example there were those who followed Heraclitus and believed that the world was always in a constant state of change.  There were those who followed Parmenides who claimed that the world was unchangeable.  There were the followers of Plato who spoke about the inner recollection we all have of an ideal world. The world according to Plato was a combination of what our minds could make of it and reality.  There were the followers of Aristotle who said that the world is as it appears.  Reality exists and we are capable of understanding it.

Paul came to these people without having any particular knowledge of the major Greek philosophers.  You can understand why he came to these intelligentsia in fear and trembling.  "What line of thinking are you employing?" the Greek citizen would ask Paul.  In what philosophy is your wisdom based?  To these Paul states in the second reading for today, "My message and my preaching has none of the persuasive force of "wise" argumentation.  Instead it has the convincing power of the Holy Spirit."  Then he reminds the Christians at Corinth, "As a result your faith rests not on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God."

Philosophy is good, important and necessary, but the wisdom of philosophy is infinitely inferior to the power of God.  This is Paul's message to the new Christians at Corinth.  It is his message to us as we are continually tempted to underestimate the value of our faith.

Sometimes we come upon our modern intelligentsia who will lay claim to the term of being wise because they have studied Kant, or Kierkegaard, or are well acquainted with the writings and beliefs of the East, the Buddhists or Hindus, or the Moslems, etc. For example an arrogant intellectual might ask:  "You mean you haven't read Stephen Hawkin's A Brief History of Time?"  The assumption would be that if we had read and understood that book we would be  a lot wiser.  But  having a grasp of all the knowledge there is in the world and all the great theories of the greatest of the philosophers may help develop our intellectual capacity and give us a clearer understanding of the world, but if all of this were the basis of our wisdom than we would not be wise, we would instead be fools.  To the Christian wisdom is not based on any person other than the person of Jesus Christ.  Our wisdom is not lost in some document past or present, our wisdom is alive, because the Power of God lives. 

Our wisdom is based not on theory but on faith.

I want to tell you a little story that illustrates this.  This is a story about identical twin girls, Amy and Anne. The twins, Amy and Anne, were about one month away from their birth.  Life was very pleasant for the twins.  There was a constant source of food for each of them, even if some times it was a little spicier than they wanted.  Their home was warm and comfortable. It seemed to move around a lot, but they were in lovely velvety soft water, so they didn't mind it. They slept and played.  One of their favorite games was kick boxing.  One day, they got into an argument.  Amy said that it she was sure looking forward to the day when she could see the Mommy face to face. Anne said, how do you know there is a Mommy?  Amy said, well of course there is a Mommy, look at how wonderful our life is.  We couldn't have this if there was not Mommy.  Anne said, well, if there is a Mommy: show her to me.  If I can't see the Mommy, I don't believe there is a Mommy.  Amy couldn't show Anne the Mommy, but she could feel her presence and her love.  The discussion and argument went on for about a month.  Amy used to say to Anne, you have to believe, you have to trust.  There is more to life than meets the eye.  And Anne would respond, 'Stop being so simple, so naive.  Use your mind and put your trust only in that which your mind can discover. Then one day their world became quite unsettled.  The walls started squeezing them into a small space.  Amy cried out, Mommy I know you are out there.  I need you now.  Anne just cried and cried.  She was at a total loss trying to understand what was happening.  Her mind couldn't explain it.  She was full of fear.  Finally she called out, Mommy, I hope you exist because I am afraid and need someone to calm my fear.  And the twins were born.  And after the initial shock of it all, they both felt the warmth and the love they had felt in their former home.  And Anne realized that Amy was right.  There is a Mommy and the warmth and love she felt before and feels now was the very presence of the Mommy.

Paul is telling the people of Corinth and us that the reality which we do not see is more powerful, more certain, a deeper truth than the reality that we do see.  The wisdom that our minds cannot come to is infinitely superior to the wisdom that is based solely on our intellectual capacity. 

When sickness, trauma, or tragedy hit us; when our loved ones become ill, injured or die; it is Jesus Christ and Christ alone who brings order to the chaos of our lives.  We are people who have been enlightened by Christ.  Jesus Christ is God's answer to every question that has ever been or ever can be posed.  We are called today to reveal the true wisdom of the Lord to the world.  The wisdom not based on great intellects, but on the power of God. The world needs this still new wisdom.

Enlightened by Christ, we are the light of the world.

Homily from Father Phil Bloom
http://www.geocities.com/seapadre_1999/

Kalos
(February 6, 2011)

Bottom line: Jesus wants our lives and deeds to not only be good (agathos) but also attractive (kalos).

Today Jesus speaks about "good deeds." Greek - the language of the New Testament - has two words for "good." One is agathos which describes the quality of goodness. The other is kalos. In his commentary on St. Matthew's Gospel, William Barclay explains that kalos means that "a thing is not only good, but that it is also winsome and beautiful and attractive."* When Jesus speaks about "good deeds," the word is kalos - a goodness that is beautiful. He says that when people see our good deeds they should give glory to God.

God wants us to live and act in an attractive manner. Before talking about deeds that attract, I would like to say something about physical attractiveness. There is some confusion here because a person may think that wanting to be attractive is a form of vanity.

Once a lady came to a priest. "Father," she said, "I have a problem with vanity. I spend so much time in front of the mirror trying to get my make-up and hair just right." The priest was silent for a moment, then he looked at her with a smile. "Don't worry, sister," he said, "you need all the help you can get!"

The priest was not me. ;)

Especially as we get older, we don't have to worry a lot about vanity. It's an act of charity to do what we can to be attractive. I would, though, like to say a word to younger people, especially to girls and young ladies. If you strive for a wholesome lifestyle, you won't have to worry about being attractive. Your goal shouldn't be to turn heads, if you know what I mean. You want men to look at you not as an object, but as a daughter or a sister.

In the Bible the relationship of deepest affection is not boyfriend-girlfriend, but brother and sister. If you work on being brother and sister to each other, you will build a relationship that will last. Although physical attraction has its place, it's hardly the same thing as love. You want something deeper. You want to attract by what you have inside - not just the outside.

That's what Jesus speaks about today. He wants our lives to be beautiful. He talks about a goodness that leads to God. That's what will last. Blessed Mother Teresa is an example of that kind of attraction. With her wrinkled face and fragile body, no one would mistake her for a fashion model - yet she had a beauty that cast a spell over people. When they saw Mother Teresa, they saw God. Her actions were not only good; they were attractive.

She began her extraordinary ministry by picking up an abandoned, dying man and carrying him to a hospital. The hospital did not want to receive him. Mother Teresa sat on the steps and did the best she could to care for him. From that single deed she launched a ministry of caring for abandoned people in Calcutta. Her deed eventually attracted thousands of young people to give their lives to God.

Now, Mother Teresa had extraordinary gifts. Before beginning her ministry among the abandoned, she was a popular teacher, a competent administrator and a sought-after spiritual guide. We might say, "I am no Mother Teresa." Perhaps you and I have lesser gifts, but we can still do things that are good and attractive. Let me give you an example:

Everybody has heard of Blessed Mother Teresa, but not many have heard about another twentieth century saint: Solanus Casey. Born Bernard Francis Casey, he was brought up on a farm in Wisconsin. Sensing God's call to the priesthood, he entered the diocesan seminary. He was, however, a mediocre student and they soon dismissed him. Young Bernard kept knocking at doors and finally the Capuchins accepted him. He received the religious name, "Solanus." When he was ordained in 1904, he was considered so poorly prepared that they designated him as a "simplex priest." They limited his ministry to celebrating Mass. They did not allow him to hear confessions, to preach or even to wear the Capuchin's distinctive hood. He received a humble assignment: porter - a kind of receptionist - at the Capuchin monastery in Detroit. As porter he had the responsibility of enrolling people in the Seraphic Mass Association.

For most people, taking down names would not be an exciting job and it could easily become routine. But Fr. Solanus was different. He would talk with people and spend time praying with them and for them. People began to get answers to the prayers. As word spread, people started flocking to the "simplex priest." So many experienced miraculous interventions that his superiors told Fr. Solanus to keep a log. Here are couple of the entries:

"July 26, 1926 - Russell Jay, just 17 years old tomorrow and 49 inches tall is enrolled in the Seraphic Mass Association today. Non-catholic, he asks to 'make me grow.'...January 2, 1927 - Today Russell Jay reported he grew 4 1/2 inches - first change in 12 years - now developing normally."

"December 29, 1937 - John Charles Kulbacki - 6 years old - blind since 3 weeks old; was enrolled in the Seraphic Mass Association six weeks ago. On Christmas Day when at 'Crib' here in church, was almost frightened as he exclaimed - pointing to the lighted crib, 'Look, Mama.' Deo Gratias, thanks be to God."**

Fr. Solanus Casey had a humble job, but he made a decision. He would do more than good work; he would focus on every person who came. He took it for granted that God answers prayers and saw nothing special about his work. The people he prayed for saw things differently. When Fr. Solanus died in 1957, twenty-thousand people passed by his casket in one-and-a-half days. His cause for sainthood opened in 1982. In 1987 they exhumed his body and found it incorrupt. Pope John Paul II declared him "Venerable" and many people make a pilgrimage to his tomb in Detroit.

So, Venerable Solanus Casey shows the power of small acts done with great love. He illustrates what Jesus says today: to let one's light shine before others so that what we do will lead others to God. Let's remember that Greek word, kalos - beautiful, winsome, attractive.*** Jesus wants our lives and deeds to not only be good but to attract others to God - "that they may see your good deads and glorify your heavenly Father."

Homily from Saint Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe,Pa
http://www.saintvincentarchabbey.org/homilies/index.lasso

Gospel Summary

Jesus tells his disciples that they are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. He adds, ". . . your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly father."

Life Implications
If we were to witness the events of this passage being acted on stage, I think we would find them humorous: Jesus telling a motley group of puzzled followers, many illiterate, that they are the light of the world. The scene reminds me of an experience in a freshman religion class when I suggested that it was they who would determine how our postmodern world ultimately would be defined. We all laughed upon hearing a clearly audible whisper, "O God." These freshmen were not quite sure they were up to the task. And when we hear the gospel passage in church on Sunday, we assume that Jesus is talking to those first disciples, surely not to us. Deep down, like my freshman class, we know we are not capable of being the light of the world.

The passage becomes good news, and not a cause for discouragement, only if we hear it in the context of the gospel that Jesus proclaims. Jesus himself is the light of the world. He is so empty of self and so transparent to the divine action in his humanity that he will be called Emmanuel, which means "God is with us." It is only because we, through the gift of the Spirit, become one with Christ, that we can be the light of the world, never by our own light alone.

The life implications of this gospel are practical and profound. The optimism of the great song "We Shall Overcome" is too easily shattered when racism or the violence of any injustice, in fact, seems to overcome the light. An invincible hope is possible only when we realize that it is through divine action that the kingdom of God is established in this world. "We Shall Overcome" is a song of unconquerable hope when the "we" includes "God is with us."

The conclusion of the eucharistic prayer of the Mass is an expression‎ of the deepest truth of Christian faith: "Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever." Jesus is saying to you and me: " . . . your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father."

Homily from Father Cusick
http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

"You are the salt of the earth." Often quoted, seldom understood. Do we understand what it means for our relationship with Christ?

That little salt shaker sitting today on every kitchen table was unknown in the Middle East of the time of Christ. Only the very wealthy could afford refined salt. Ordinary people had a "salt bag." The salt with all its impurities was placed in the bag, and then used in soup or other liquids for flavoring. Eventually all the salt was gone, leaving only impurities, or the "dregs." This is what is meant in the gospel when our Lord asks, "what if the salt goes flat?"

Salt is a good symbol for the gift of baptismal integrity given to us by Christ, as a white garment to be kept clean and radiant. Salt itself cannot go flat; it is used up and what remains in the salt bag, the "dregs" does not suffice for flavoring food, leaving all it touches "flat." One either has salt, or the taste of salt, or one doesn't. We are either dead in our sins or alive in Christ. Once the salt is gone, a person must return to the source of the salt in order to replace it; nothing else will suffice. If one is to have life, one must go to its Divine source.

The white garments of our baptism and the lighting of a candle are signs of the gift of grace we receive from Christ, as we read in the Catechism.

The white garment symbolizes that the person baptized has "put on Christ," (Gal 3:27) 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.'" (Mt 5:14) (CCC 1243)

The grace and supernatural life we all received when we met Christ for the first time in baptism is the only source of life for us; there are no substitutes for the real thing. Material things, money, persons, nothing can offer us the freedom and life that comes to us in Christ. "Without me you can do nothing." Suffering, depression, disappointments are a fact of life. The flight from them is an illusion, a lie. Either we learn to guard the life of Christ within us as the only source of love, as a promise of eternal joy, or we attempt a vain escape into abuse of sexuality, drugs, alcohol, or material things.

The source of all true and lasting joy and blessing is Christ. That is easy to believe but difficult to live consistently within a life's commitment. We turn most readily in thanks to God when we get that raise or promotion, when the spouse and family are happy, when that perfect date comes along. But when the inevitable disappointments, tragedies, betrayals, or depressions come, do we guard and keep the life of Christ and promise of unending joy by remaining close to our Lord in the Eucharist, by faithfully attending Sunday Mass, by turning to prayer? Anything else is a flight from Him who alone can help us to bear all burdens. Life here will sometimes lose its flavor, and someday will end. But the glorious and eternal truth is that we are salt and light in Christ, for "in Him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." In Him alone is eternal glory, ours to share now, as a strength and sustenance at each moment, and forever.

Homily from Father Alex McAllister SDS
http://www.ctk-thornbury.org.uk/

Last week we heard the Beatitudes, the beginning and the summary of the great Sermon on the Mount which forms the core of Jesus teaching.

Now Jesus moves on to the description of a true disciple. But Jesus typically does not concern himself with rules and regulations, for he is less worried about the details of what we do but much more about who we are. He is interested in character not actions.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that the Disciple of Christ can do what he likes, far from it! Being unconcerned with rules and regulations doesn’t mean that Jesus is less strict; in fact it means he is more radical. Jesus goes to the root motivations of our behaviour; he goes to the very sources of our actions which are our attitudes.

With Jesus it is not doing it is being that counts. The true disciple is to be the salt of the earth; he is to be the light of the world.

This requires from us the very deepest level of commitment; it concerns the whole of our being. As a Christian we consecrate our whole lives to God, we devote our entire selves to him. Always at the back of our minds is God: what he wants, what he thinks, what he might want us to do or say, how great his love is and so on.

When I was doing some counselling training I remember reading an article, the author’s main thesis was that as a counsellor you had to be very careful about the words you used.

He said that in the encounter with the client the counsellor either builds him up or breaks him down. According to this author you never had no effect. You either helped or hindered and it was impossible to be neutral.

I think it is the same sort of thing for a Christian disciple—we either help or hinder those we meet to see the face of Christ. We never have no effect, we either build up or breakdown, we either reveal the love of God to the world or we obscure it.

The point is that those around us know we are Catholics. When they see us they get their opinion of what a Catholic is. They know one thing—that Catholics are strict followers of the Gospel and have firm views about morality and are rather dedicated to their religion.

However, they don’t really know much about what being a follower of Christ really means. So when they look at us they see what a disciple says and does and they make a judgement about Christ accordingly.

We often fail in this regard, all of us. All too often we try to keep our discipleship at a superficial level. We want to fit in with the crowd and go with the flow. We want to follow Christ but not in a deeply radical way. We are, if we admit it to ourselves, a bit half-hearted about our Christianity.

 There is a story told of the artistic genius Michelangelo entering his studio. Carefully he went round the room and examined the canvases of each of his pupils. A few he cautiously complimented. He advised one or two to keep their day jobs. Finally he came to his star disciple. The man was working on a small canvas. Michelangelo took up a brush and across the picture, he wrote the Latin word "amplius". Translated into English it means "larger."

The maestro felt his pupil was playing it too safe. He was not working up to capacity. He wanted him to start all over again. The pupil was angry and disappointed but most of all he wanted to show what he could do so he did and he painted an absolute masterpiece.

Psychologists tell we leave this world with sizeable portions of our brains woefully undeveloped. But there is no argument that this is perhaps even more true of our spirits. Spiritually we are capable of being much more interesting Christians than we are at the moment. What we lack is boldness and imagination.

Jesus doesn’t want us to be just good and kind mass-goers who aren’t any trouble to anyone. He wants us to be bold and imaginative and dynamic Christians.

He doesn’t want us to be insipid he wants us to be the salt of the earth to give the world some tanginess.

He doesn’t want us to hide in a corner he wants us to light up the world with our lives.

The last words of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of Matthew are as bold as you will get anywhere: Go, make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And know that I am with you always, yes, even to the end of time.

These words are addressed to us. This is what the Disciple of Christ is commissioned by Jesus to do.

But how many disciples have you made lately? How many people have you helped come to the waters of Baptism? To how many people have you explained the teaching of Jesus?

If you are anything like me the answer is: not very many. Yet we want to be true followers of Christ and we want to be faithful to his wishes for us but we feel inadequate to the task.

We feel like Paul did when he said in the second reading that he came among the Corinthians in fear and trembling. He knew that he could not do much even with all his learning and human knowledge so he placed himself entirely in the hands of God.

That I think is what we must do—or rather we mustn’t do anything—we must let God do it, let him work in us. Hand our lives over to God trusting, as it says in Ephesians 3:20, that his power working in us will achieve so much more that we can ever ask or imagine.

This is the way ahead for us—to constantly turn to God for guidance in all our doings so that in time we begin to think and speak and act like Christ himself.