Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)

 

Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (A) [Mt 5:13-16]

08.02.2026

The Call of Disciples as Salt and Light

Readings: (1) Is 58:7-10 (2) 1 Cor 2:1-5

1.    Theme in brief

Our vocation to season human society and light up the world

2.    Focus Statement

A Christian disciple is called to give taste or flavour to human society, preserve it from evil of corruption and be pure like salt; and be a light shining from a high place in the darkness of our world.

3.    Explanation of the text

In today’s gospel Jesus explains the vocation and mission of his disciples in the world or human society with emphatically repeated words, “you (my disciples) are called to be salt and light”. He uses three metaphors to explain their vocation or role: (1) to be salt of the earth; (2) city built on a hill; and (3) light of the world (5:13-14). Jesus does not tell his disciples to become like salt or light, as many of us understand his saying. They already are salt and light by their faith in him. Now they have to manifest what they already are. How? Of course, by exhibiting the qualities of salt and light in their personal conduct, so that their life may become a witness for him and bring glory to their Father in heaven (5:16).

The qualities of salt are these: (1) purity because of its white colour (if it is “salt of the earth,” that is,  rock-salt extracted from the mines); (2) giving taste/flavour to food, or seasoning food; and (3) preserving food (especially meat and fish) from decay or corruption. Jesus tells his disciples not to lose their saltiness or taste; instead always be true to their vocation to remain ‘salty.’ He warns them if they lose their seasoning and preservative qualities, they become useless disciples like insipid salt that is thrown out and trampled under foot (5:13). Not only here, but in some other parts of the gospel too Jesus upholds this dictum: Uselessness or fruitlessness always invites disaster or rejection (cf. Lk 13:9; Jn 15:6).

Secondly, the disciples are like a city built on a hill or mountain that cannot be hidden. If this is true about ancient cities, how much more about modern ones. In modern age such cities or towns, far from hiding, marvellously shine even from a far distance especially aat night with all types of electrical illumination. Jesus says that his disciples cannot hide their faith. If they practice the beatitudes that were proclaimed in last Sunday’s gospel (Mt 5:1-12), their life-style, behaviour and action will be clearly visible to others.

The thiird metaphor of light used by Jesus symbolizes the following: (1) a thing that shines in such a way that it can be seen by others; (2) a medium through which darkness is dispelled; (3) that which reveals what is hidden; (4) that which shows or guides the way, or becomes a beacon. Now we can understand that Jesus gives his disciples a mission to light up the world, dispel its darkness, reveal God’s presence through their lives and guide others to God’s ways or his values. Jesus further speaks about the foolishness of lighting a lamp and covering it up with a basket instead of putting it on a high place such as a lampstand, so that all can see its light (5:15). It is clear that our light is meant for shining before people and not for hiding.

The ultimate purpose of shining their light is to draw attention to God who is at work in and through their “good deeds”. Their good conduct or deeds are like a light shining from a high place attracting people and bringing glory not to themselves but to God (5:16).

4.    Application to life

In the Beatitudes (Mt 5:3-10), Jesus has already given the blueprint of an exemplary Christian discipleship. In today’s gospel he uses three metaphors to describe the disciples who practice the norms laid down in the Beatitudes. They are compared to salt of the earth, city built on a hill and light of the world. Their vocation is to give taste to unsavoury situations, light up the dark areas and shine brightly so that they are seen from afar. These metaphors are a beautiful reflection on the true value, preciousness and privileged nature of our Christian vocation. Our vocation lays upon us a tremendous responsibility for the world. As disciples, we are called to live out our identity in the world by exhibiting the nature of salt and light.

First of all, as salt, all our motives and intentions must be pure. Secondly, like salt, we have to add joy to our daily work and give taste to tasteless situations in our lives. We are to constantly reflect how we can bring joy into our life in the midst of routine and monotony of doing the same work every day. To add flavour to this situation, we are to radiate joy and optimism in the midst of hardships. Thirdly, we are called to improve the quality of human life by improving the quality of our service and contributions to human society. We are to make life tasty not only for ourselves but also for others. Just as people add salt to food to make it tasty, we are called to add value and quality to the world or to human lives. If we ourselves lose quality of life, how can we bring quality in others’ life? Fourthly, like salt, we are called to preserve our society from moral corruption, evil and ungodly ways.

Neither salt nor light exist for themselves. The purpose of salt and light is met only when they are used, poured out and spent. Similarly, neither Christ’s disciples nor the Church exist for their own sake but for the world’s. As explained above, salt has three main qualities: seasoning, purifying and preserving. Salt keeps food from being insipid and preserves it from corruption. In order to give taste, salt must come into contact with food. Similarly, a Christian must touch the issues and concerns of humans and their society in order to give taste to it, and preserve it from corruption and decay.

If table-salt is kept in a nice sprinkler on the table, it doesn’t do any good. When it is sprinkled on food and gets dissolved into it, it adds taste. Similarly, if light is covered and kept hidden, it cannot show anything to anybody. Only when it is brought out in a dark place, it can brighten up the area. The purpose of our Christian vocation is to fulfil our mission to sprinkle salt all over our society. Far from non-involvement, we are called to influence every sphere of human society – social, economic, political and cultural – with the values of the gospel. Instead of compromising with sin or evil of the world, our mission is to save the world from sin.

In the given gospel text, actually Jesus does not say that we should become “the salt of the earth” and “light of the world,” but we are.... By our baptism, we are already salt, city on hilltop and light. Jesus motivates and challenges us to live out this vocation in the modern world and show in our conduct what we have already become. Hence, we have to manifest to the world who we actually are by staying salty. The word used for “losing taste” or becoming “tasteless” in original language (Greek) literally means “to become foolish.” Christians who do not stay salty or lose their saltiness are making fools of themselves. Instead of being salt of the earth, they tend to be “sugar of the earth.” Salt has a bite of its own, especially when it is applied on a fresh wound. We are called to stay ‘salty’ even when others oppose us for this quality. We should resist the temptation to make the gospel either a sugar-coated cake or salt-free potato chips. We can season the earth only when we live a sugar-free gospel and sprinkle sufficient salt on our ‘potato chips,’ that is, our life and social situation.

By the example of our lives we are called to preserve the world from total moral corruption and decay. By our influence and personal and communitarian example, we save the world from universal evil. We are called to purify human society from corruption in mass media, commerce, politics, public life, and even within the Church. We have an obligation to arrest corruption in our society by our own purity. We are called to exert a moral influence on our society.

Jesus warns that there is a possibility that salt may lose its saltiness or salty taste or value. Losing zeal, vigour and enthusiasm is also like losing savour. How do we lose our saltiness or taste? Or, let us put the question positively: How can we give taste? We can do it by (1) our positive and optimistic way of thinking; (2) showing enthusiasm and zeal for life and service; (3) radiating joy; (4) showing a taste or interest in God or in spiritual matters and leading others to develop a taste for spiritual values; and (4) avoiding destructive criticism and tendencies to become prophets of gloom or doom; etc. In the beginning of any new venture, job or entering into a new state of life, we show a lot of initial enthusiasm, but our fervour dies after some time. When we show a lack of zeal, vitality and joy in our behaviour and action, we become tasteless or flavourless Christians. Jesus says that such flavourless disciples are useless, and may be rejected by the world. So we have to ask whether we are worthwhile or worthless Christians.

 Christ is the light of the world (Jn 8:12). As bearers of his light, we too are the light that shines in the darkness of the world. In other words, we are called to be a beacon (light in a high place) in the midst of darkness, chaos, unrest and sadness. Yes, we must be a beacon of truth in a world of sin, dishonesty and falsehood. Today, Jesus makes us aware that, as his disciples, it is not enough to attend devotions, novenas, retreats and healing sessions without any concern for darkness in the world. Our world, in spite of being basically good, has enough of darkness in it. People who often suffer the darkness of evil in the world get frustrated. Just as the light burns for others, we live not only for ourselves, but for others by flashing our light in darkened areas. Like the sun, we radiate the light of love, service and truth to all around us.

Jesus tells us to shed light of faith, hope, charity, mercy, peace, justice and honesty or truthfulness amidst darkness that negates these values. He tells us to light up our workplace, family and neighbourhood with these values. Bribery, injustice, exploitation, widespread violence and so many other evils lead the society to decay. Unless there are some people to uphold moral purity and preservative quality of salt, this decay will be worse. Therefore, we should not forget to penetrate human society with the sprinkle of a little bit of salt wherever we go and work. When we dilute the message of Christ and compromise with evil, or fail to live according to our Christian vocation we become insipid (flavourless). Then we lose our opportunity to bear testimony to Christ which is like losing our flavour and becoming useless disciples.  

Both the metaphors of a city built on hill and a lamp put on an elevated place emphasize the fact that our Christian vocation is not purely a private affair, but is of public nature. As followers of Christ we are not secret agents. As nobody dreams of putting a light under a bushel, we have to be sure that the reason for our existence as Christians is to give light to those who surround us. Our faith is not meant for hiding; it must be shown not so much by the cross we wear on our chests, but in our good conduct or loving service. In the area where I work as a missionary, a number of villages are called ‘Tongritoli’ or ‘Pahartoli’ (meaning a village on a hill or mountain). Can such villages hide from being seen from far? We are often tempted to hide our light in the following manner: by not speaking when we must tell the truth; by compromising with the values of the world; by colluding with the evil; by closing our eyes on the needs of others, especially of the poor; etc.

If we really want to be salt and light, we must behave and act differently from the general current of our society. People notice it. They may even ask us: “Why do you behave differently? Why don’t you follow the crowd?” Whenever we bear witness to Christ through our good conduct and works of mercy others recognize Christ in us and it becomes the cause of giving glory to our heavenly Father and not to ourselves. If so, where is the place for arrogance, working for one’s own name and fame or taking credit for oneself?

5.    Response to God's Word

Are we really living out our vocation and mission as Christian disciples? How do we fulfill our call to manifest “saltiness” in our workplace, neighbourhood, family and community? What are the dark areas in our family life, friendships, work relations, and neighbourhood? Do we try to make our Christian identity visible through our good conduct or keep our faith in hiding? Are our motives pure, or selfish and insincere? Do we withdraw from good work when people reject, ridicule and oppose us because of our ‘salty’ nature? Do we succumb to public pressure to accept corrupt ways of the world? In the past, when and how did we hide our faith?

6.    A prayer

O Lord, give us the courage to preserve our society from moral corruption, evil and ungodly ways. As bearers of your light, grant that we may shine brightly in the darkness of the world. Give us the grace not to hide our light out of fear of opposition and criticism. May we attract people to you by our good conduct or deeds and bring glory to you. Amen.

 

Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)

 

Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (A) [Mt 5:1-12]

01.02.2026

The Beatitudes

Readings: (1) Zeph 2:3; 3:12-13 (2) 1 Cor 1:26-31

1.    Theme in brief

Jesus’ vision of true and internal happiness

2.    Focus Statement

True and internal joy called “blessedness” does not lie in wealth, pleasure, power and popularity, but in acquiring the attitudes and living the values of God’s Kingdom that are outlined by Jesus in his Beatitudes.

3.    Explanation of the text

Today’s gospel is something like Jesus’ Inaugural Address according to Matthew after announcing the main theme of his teaching and preaching in last Sunday’s gospel, that is, “the Kingdom of Heaven (God) has come near” (4:17). In the first part of his Sermon on the Mount (5:1), traditionally called the Eight Beatitudes, Jesus outlines the principles that govern this Kingdom and lays out his vision of life in this Kingdom. His vision goes absolutely contrary to the mentality and values of the world. If the world thinks the rich are the most fortunate ones, he says the poor in spirit are fortunate, etc. Whereas the world applauds and rewards the selfish, powerful, aggressive, arrogant and corrupt people, Jesus pronounces blessings on the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, the hungry and the thirsty for righteousness, the pure in heart and the persecuted. In each of the beatitudes he declares those people blessed who are usually regarded by the world as miserable, wretched and timid.

Jesus uses the words “blessed are those…” eight times (5:3-10), and “blessed are you…” once (5:11) in today’s text. Though the word “blessed” is commonly translated as “happy,” it transcends the normal connotation of happiness; that is, being delighted, or being in a good mood, cheerfulness, and having a pleasurable feeling. It is a state in which one finds oneself being really fortunate because of the inner joy and peace that comes from being righteous or upright in God’s sight. The blessedness mentioned in this text is about serenity and inner peace and joy that is independent of what happens to us externally – a joy which cannot be taken away by sorrow, loss, pain and even death. Whereas worldly joy can come and go with fortune and success, this joy cannot be lost with the change of fortune or failure of our plans. That is why this blessedness can be experienced even under intense persecution. Jesus says that true and inner joy does not lie in abundance of wealth, success, pleasure, power, prestige and popularity, but in living or putting into practice the values of God’s Kingdom.

According to the Eight Beatitudes outlined in today’s gospel,  this sort of internal joy comes from acquiring the following attitudes and principles and trying to live by them:

1) To be poor in spirit means to acknowledge one’s utter helplessness and put one’s whole trust not in possessions or material things but only in God. It means acquiring a spirit of detachment from worldly wealth and becoming conscious of one’s total dependence on God (5:3);

2) To mourn means to Express solidarity with the broken-hearted of human society by weeping with those who weep, and by expressing sorrow for one’s own sins and the sins of the world (5:4);

3) To be meek means to keep one’s passions and aggressive or violent instincts under control, and cultivate non-aggressive behaviour or action (5:5);

4) To hunger and thirst for righteousness meand to long for justice and holiness just as one longs for food when very hungry (5:6);

5) To be means to feel one with the feelings/ pain/ joy/ troubles/ needs/ problems of others with a compassionate heart (5:7);

6) To be pure in heart means to purify one’s motives and intentions so that they do not become totally selfish, dubious, ulterior and adulterated (5:8);

7) To be peacemakers means to be promote and build up peace and reconciliation among people (5:9);

8) To be pesecuted for Christ’s sake means to suffer for justice or righteousness and for his gospel-values; as well as willingness to undergo persecution for his sake (5:10).

After listing the eight beatitudes, Jesus changes the words “blessed are those” into “blessed are you” in 5:11. This verse is not traditionally added to the list of beatitudes not only because of the change of words but also because it only explains further the eighth beatitude by applying it directly to the persecution suffered by the early Church for the sake of Christ.  Since he himself is going to suffer a death on the cross for his faithfulness to God, he calls his followers to be willing to suffer persecution for their faithfulness to him.

To sum up, what Jesus says here is: How fortunate are those who live a life of detachment from material possessions and depend totally on God; those who mourn over evil in their personal lives as well as in the world; those who are meek in admitting their sins and failures and follow a non-aggressive path; those who are hungry for God’s justice and holiness; those who are merciful towards the needy; those who are pure in their intentions and dealings; those are peace-lovers and peacemakers, not peace-breakers; those who go through rejection, persecution, trials and abuse for his sake. According to him, true and internal joy comes from acquiring the attitudes and following the principles befitting the citizens of God’s Kingdom.

4.    Application to life

Beatitudes are the right attitudes one must have in order to be the disciples of Christ. In today’s gospel, Jesus calls for an exemplary Christian discipleship lived according to the following norms laid down by him in his eight beatitudes, and promises rewards for such a conduct:

The first norm is to be poor in spirit. Jesus says that those who possess a spirit of detachment from worldly wealth and always are conscious of their total dependence on God are truly and internally joyful. This beatitude prompts us to humble ourselves and accept that we are helpless and hopeless sinners before God. It calls us to acquire an attitude of total dependence on God and refrain from all sorts of arrogance, self-righteousness and self-sufficiency. All of us, whether  materially rich or poor, have to admit that we are “spiritually poor,” and are totally in need of God’s gift of salvation. When we do this, our reward is God himself becoming the only ruler of our hearts; that is, in the technical language of today’s gospel, the Kingdom of heaven becomes ours (5:3). This beatitude makes us question who or what is our ultimate security; whether it is God or somebody or something else.

The second norm is to mourn over evil in ourselves and in the world, or over any disaster such as an accident, loss of valuable life at death, loss of one’s possessions, name and health due to serious illness. In such situations, our mourning is not only because of physical or mental pain caused by these misfortunes but also mainly for our sinfulness that often causes suffering. When we do this, the reward promised by Jesus is, we will be comforted by God himself who is our hope and who will definitely save us sooner or later (5:4). This makes us question whether we mourn for our own sins and the sins of the world; whether we share our neighbours’ pains and sorrows; and whether we go to comfort the broken-hearted of our society.

The third norm is to practice meekness that becomes visible in one’s gentleness and self-control. Meekness does not mean weakness of character but refraining from exploitation of the weak and the marginalized. It implies a non-aggressive and non-violent behaviour. The reward promised to these people is an inheritance of the earth (5:5). In the OT it means the Promised Land and in the NT, the bliss of heaven. This norm leads us to examine whether we regularly try to tame something of the animal lurking inside each one of us, just waiting to pounce at our opponents; and whether we constantly try to cultivate a non-aggressive and non-violent behaviour in the midst of so much violence in our world today.

The fourth norm is to acquire a hunger and thirst, an intense longing, desire or passion for righteousness, justice and truth. This beatitude makes us question whether we are found right or just before God and do justice for others. It calls us to acquire a greater sensitivity to injustice and unrighteousness in the world. The reward promised here is God himself who will to satisfy our spiritual hunger by doing justice to us (5:6).

The fifth norm is to show mercy to the suffering and the needy as well as the sinners. We are called to be merciful to others because we have received mercy from the Lord in all our needs, insufficiencies and inadequacies, and also have received forgiveness from him umpteen times. The reward promised here is a gift of mercy from the Lord for being merciful towards others (5:7). This beatitude makes us question whether we are doing any work of mercy for the needy and the suffering; and whether we show mercy towards those who sin against us or against others.

The sixth norm is to be pure in heart. Jesus tells us to constantly purity our thoughts and intentions so that they are not contaminated by evil or impure motives. This calls upon us to constantly strive to purify our minds from all worldly impurities, sinful desires and dubious or ulterior motives. The reward promised here is the ability to “see God” (5:8) here on earth with the eyes of faith and hereafter in heaven.

The seventh norm is to be peacemakers. Those who work to bring about reconciliation of broken relationship with God and with one another in human society are called blessed because such people actively promote one of the important aspects of God’s Kingdom. They try to build bridges of understanding, remove hatred, reconcile people in conflict with one another, bring together adversaries and try to seal divisions. The reward promised to these disciples is such a unique and close relationship with God because of which they will be called the children of God or belonging to the family of God (5:9).

The eighth norm is about a disciple’s willingness to persecution for righteousness’ sake (5:10). As in the days of early Church, even today those who live by the norms of these beatitudes, that is, those who stand for justice, those who work for peace, those who are meek, etc, will face criticism, opposition, intimidation, attacks and even martyrdom, This continues to happen in one or other parts of the Church even today in a bigger scale, and happens within our own families and communities in a smaller scale.

A thought may come up in our minds: Who can attain so high ideals outlined by Jesus in these beatitudes? We think only saints can practice them. Since we find these ideals too hard to practice we do not even give it a try. In spite of that, all of us are called to aim at the path of the beatitudes. Whenever we put any of these values into practice even in a small way, we should be happy that we too are following the path of blessedness or holiness. But since as humans we often fail to live up to these high ideals, we should always regret for not having done our best to advance in holiness. These high ideals give us the satisfaction of having done something whenever we put them into practice, but not having done our best. Surely, the rewards assured by the Lord spur us on.

Sadly enough, today, we have so many short-cut methods or ways contrary to these norms to attain momentary happiness and temporary relief such as habitual or addictive use of drugs, alcohol, sex, T.V., cell phones, internet, etc. Sooner or later we come to the realization that lasting and internal happiness cannot be attained by these. When we trust only in wealth, or do not admit our mistakes or sinfulness, do not comfort those who weep and suffer, compromise with worldly standards, become peace-breakers instead of peacemakers, we can never experience internal joy and fulfilment.  If we are not really happy, we have to ask ourselves why we are not. Do our principles and methods to attain happiness coincide with Christ’s? They are inner dispositions of disciples that should influence their outward behaviour. The attitudinal change required by these beatitudes has to take place first of all in our relationship with God which in turn will influence our relationship with fellow human beings.

5.    Response to God's Word

As Christ’s disciples, do we place our full security in God? Do we mourn over the miseries and sins of the world and share our neighbours’ pains? Are we humble enough to admit our sins and mistakes? Are we compassionate towards the needs of the deprived and the marginalized? Do we work to build bridges and bring reconciliation between warring and divided groups or persons? Do we stand for Christ’s values even when there is criticism, opposition, ridicule and persecution?

6.    A prayer

O holy God, send on us your Holy Spirit to give us the courage and strength to practice the values outlined in the Beatitudes and experience internal joy and peace. Amen.

 

Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)

 

Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (A) [Mt 4:12-23]

25.01.2026

Jesus Begins His Public Ministry and Calls His First Disciples

Readings: (1) Is 8:23 - 9:3 (2) 1 Cor 1:10-13.17

1.    Theme in brief

Our basic call and mission

2.    Focus Statement

Jesus calls us everyday to follow him, and entrusts us with a mission to gather people into a community of love (called the Kingdom of Heaven); we need to respond to it with a willingness to make sacrifices for it.  

3.     Explanation of the text

According to today’s gospel text, Jesus inaugurates his public ministry in “Galilee of the Gentiles” (4:15), with the proclamation of the central theme of his preaching, that is, the Kingdom of Heaven or God (4:17). This Kingdom is nothing but the loving rule of God over human lives. This text also tells us how Jesus calls his first disciples and entrusts them with a mission to “catch people,” that is, gather or draw people into that Kingdom (4:18-19).

Matthew’s gospel puts the inauguration of Jesus’ public ministry not in the elite region of Judea or the sanctified Jerusalem but in “Galilee of the Gentiles”. This region with a mixed population of Jews and Gentiles was despised by the respectable Jews in Judea as dull and backward. For them it was a land belonging to people who “sat in darkness” and in the “shadow of death” (4:16). Though the phrase “people who sat in darkness” in Isaiah’s prophecy originally meant Israelites who were under oppression and exile, echoing Jewish mentality in those days, Matthew applies it to the Gentile people in Galilean territory. For him, they are the people who “sat in darkness” and now have seen “a great light” (4:16) in the person and ministry of Jesus. Hence, indirectly Matthew echoes what John says in his gospel: Jesus is the light of the world and has come to dispel the darkness of the Gentile world. The very fact that Jesus begins his public ministry in this region points to the universality of his mission and his preferential option for the marginalized.

In Galilee Jesus solemnly proclaims the central theme of his ministry – the Kingdom of ‘Heaven’ – a phrase Matthew uses in place of the Kingdom of God out of respect for his Jewish audience who found it offensive to utter God’s proper name directly. He says that God’s rule which is firmly established in heaven is now being extended among the humans in the person and ministry of Jesus; it has now come so near to them in and through Jesus. But, in order to personalize it, they must ‘repent’ (4:17). Or in order to experience God’s total love, one must allow oneself to be totally governed by God and his values. That involves making God and his love as the centre of one’s life, or reversing the direction of one’s life from self-centeredness to God-centeredness. Repentance also implies a decision to stop walking far away from God’s ways (values) and to walk towards God and live by his standards. In other words, it means, allowing God to control or govern our life instead of “self”.

After announcing the main theme (also purpose) of his ministry, namely to establish God’s rule on earth, Jesus calls his first disciples to be his collaborators in this project. He calls them not only to collaborate but also to continue his mission to establish God’s rule or reign which is summarized thus in today’s gospel: teaching, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom and healing from diseases (4:23). He calls two sets of brothers (first Simon Peter and Andrew, second James and John) to follow him, and entrusts them with a mission to gather people into God’s Kingdom or to establish it in every human heart (4:18-19). He calls them in the midst of ordinary life-situation and occupation, namely fishing. In a way he disrupts their normal routine and calls them for a different way of life. He tells them to give up their work of catching fish and begin ‘catching people,’ that is, drawing or gathering people into another net, the net of God’s Kingdom (4:19). In other words, their mission to fish for people implies creating new communities based on the values of God’s Kingdom.

How do the first disciples respond to Jesus’ call? Matthew’s double emphasis that both the pairs of brothers followed him “immediately” indicates their prompt response to Jesus’ summons or their decisive obedience to his call (4:20, 22). They respond by leaving their father Zebedee (implying family ties), nets and boat (implying possessions) and fishing activity (implying occupation). It is clear that following Jesus and doing his mission involves sacrificing of family ties, material possessions (or worldly attachments) and occupation.

4.    Application to life 

Jesus has come as a light to dispel darkness of sin and spiritual death. Like him, we are called to go out of our own ‘territory’ to shed light in regions of darkness and death. As followers of Jesus, we need to constantly examine ourselves and see whether our relationships and services are inclusive or exclusive; whether they are confined or limited only to our own community, only to one section or class of people. We are called to make a preferential choice to side with the underprivileged, the marginalized, the uneducated and the despised and all others who “sit in darkness” and are in “shadow of  (spiritual) death” (4:16). Today for us, the region of Galilee or Galileans could be the  minorities (either religious and ethnic or racial), people of other religious faiths and traditions, people under the grip of anti-social elements and human rights violators, or those who advocate dehumanizing or life-threatening superstitions. It is easy to work with like-minded people, or with those who belong to one’s own religion, ethnicity, gender, language and ideology. To go out of this circle requires a deliberate choice and a change of attitude.

The message of Jesus is a simple one: We must turn from our sins, and turn to God to bring his loving rule nearer to us. Contrary to God ruling over us, sin is self-rule and self-will run riot. When we allow sin and selfishness to take control of us, we are outside God’s Kingdom; when we allow God, his love and his will rule over us, we are in his Kingdom. To bring his rule in our hearts and experience his boundless love we must repent. Repentance in biblical sense does not mean merely an apology or saying “I am sorry,” but a change of one’s ways, direction, behavior, attitude and mind. If God has to completely rule over our lives or govern us we have to change our attitude or way of thinking that results in a change of life-style and a total submission to God’s love. This does not happen naturally or spontaneously, since as humans we are selfish by nature. For this, we need to open our hearts to Jesus and allow him to establish God’s loving rule over our lives and society. As his followers, we have to ask ourselves, “Actually, who or what is ruling over our minds, hearts, lives and families?” God or something (somebody) else? What needs to be changed in our mentality, attitudes and life style, if God has to be the only ruler? Unless we change, the Kingdom (i.e. God’s attributes of love, peace, justice) will not come near, but will be far away from us. What will be the result? Naturally, more fights, divisions, disunity, hatred, unrest and restlessness.

In today’s gospel text we observe a close connection between preaching, teaching and healing in Jesus' ministry (4:23).  It is clear that the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth involves not only preaching and teaching but also actions such as healing that brings wholeness to brokenhearted people and communities. Today, Jesus once again calls us to continue his mission of teaching even (at times even to the unreachable people), proclaiming his love to those who are hungry for love, and healing the wounded and broken hearts. He calls us daily in the midst of our usual work and busy life to sacrifice our energies and time to bring people into contact with his values of love, peace, justice, fellowship, etc, and build up communities based on these values.

Jesus calls us to draw people out of darkness to light, from selfishness to become sharers, from disharmony and division to unity in the community. As fishermen draw fish from the sea, we too are called to draw people out from the sea of sin and dehumanizing situations and gather them into the ‘net’ of a communion. We should not forget that we have a mission and responsibility to shed light in the midst of darkness of the world so that God’s love may triumph over forces of evil and death. We need to examine whether we are faithful to our mission to build up communities, or are busy only in building concrete structures and memorials. In the midst of a consumerist and materialistic society, if we are serious about following Christ daily, we have an obligation to renew the face of the earth with te enlightenment of the gospel .

To respond to his call, at times we have to sacrifice our family ties, household work and possessions as Simon Peter and his companions did. Jesus did not promise any material rewards when he called them. He called them to an uncertain future and the meaning of this call would become clearer only with trials and errors, faults and failures. Left to themselves, naturally they would have preferred to remain at home with their families and the little security they enjoyed. By deciding to follow Jesus they took a risk and ventured into an unknown future.  Today, we observe that when it comes to attending novenas, devotions and liturgical services, at least in developing countries, a large number of Christ’s disciples attend in full number. But when it comes to sacrificing one’s time and resources for the good of the community or the mission of Christ, they follow a policy of “touch me not, for I have no time for that!” In my pastoral field I have observed some women (wives) vehemently opposing the election of their husbands for leadership roles in the Church or community for which they are not paid. They say, “For nothing, why should you face criticism and opposition?” Similarly, I have also observe some men (husbands) criticizing and objecting to their wives’ involvement in social activities or church services, because of their unwillingness to sacrifice the regular services of their wives at home.

Priests and religious in the Catholic Church leave their families and possessions to make themselves available to people’s service as “full timers”. But following the Lord and doing his mission is not their monopoly. The lay people are also called to follow the Lord by sacrificing their family ties, time and resources as the first disciples did, at least as “part timers” when there is a need or the occasion demands it. They should not forget that Second Vatican Council has clearly stated that they too have a vocation and mission to “fish for people” derived from their baptism itself; it is not given by the clergy as a concession. Even though so many years have passed after the Great Council, till today many lay people do not feel impelled to fulfill their mission, either due of lack of awareness and unwillingness to sacrifice their time for some free service, or due to the long-standing tradition among the clergy and religious heads who are used to manage the church affairs in a monopolistic and non-participatory way. Today, both the groups need to become aware of the wrong attitudes prevailing for long years, and pray as well as work for a more participatory Church and leadership visualized by Second Vatican Council and advocated by the Small (Basic) Christian Communities; thus shun the feudalistic model of one-man show.

5.    Response to God's Word

Is our service all inclusive? Do we enter into common ventures with people of other faiths and ideologies, or avoid contacts and common work with them? What are the attitudes, prejudices, evil tendencies and selfish behaviour that we need to change in order to experience God’s loving rule in our hearts? If God calls us to render a definite service to our community or the Church by assuming some leadership roles or involvement, are we generous enough to answer his call? Are we willing to sacrifice some of our time, energies, resources and knowledge or expertise for the good of the community or the underprivileged? Do we willingly make sacrifices ‘‘immediately’’ like the disciples, or do we delay, postpone or avoid any involvement in community services which demand sacrifices?

6.    A prayer

Jesus, you have come as a light to dispel darkness. Give us the courage and strength to shed your light to all those who “sit in darkness” and are in “shadow of death”. Today we open our hearts to you and allow you to establish God’s loving rule over our lives. We repent for the times we allowed other worldly forces to rule over us. Grant that we may be faithful to the mission of drawing people out from the sea of sin and dehumanizing situations and gather them into a communion. Fill us with a spirit of sacrifice so that we may be sometimes able to leave our family ties, household work and possessions to fulfill your mission. Amen.