Homily: February 5, 2023, Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden”.

One beautiful part in the baptism rite is handing a lighted candle to the newly baptised child. The priest says, “Receive the light of Christ.”

Yes, we are the light of the world, and our light comes from Christ, who is the source of our light.

Then the rite continues with a prayer which ends like this, “this light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly, so that your child, enlightened by Christ, may always walk as a child of the light and, persevering in the faith, may run to meet the Lord when he comes with all the saints, in the heavenly court.”

And yes, our parents and godparents are to help us keep the light burning, so that we may walk in the light and never lose our way to finally meet the Lord.

As a child, I was deathly afraid of the dark. On days when there was no electricity, which happened quite often in India, I would frantically search for some light. The moment a candle or kerosene lamp was lighted, my siblings and I would all rush to huddle around it. And that was enough to give comfort and assurance even though the rest of the house was still in darkness.

Recently, I did catechism with an elementary class, we were in the basement classroom of the pastoral center. Accidentally, I switched off the lights, thinking it was a switch for something else. I was terrified! I quickly turned the lights back on. 

To my surprise, the children were not at all afraid, instead they begged me to turn the lights off again so that they could have fun in the dark.

They were so brave!

I wondered, was it because they were used to playing in the dark and so were comfortable with it? Or was it because they were ignorant of the dangers of moving about without light?

This world is often shrouded in darkness. Social, cultural and spiritual darkness are far more frightening than physical darkness.

Jesus tells us to be the salt and light of the world. How?

From today’s first reading, we have a ‘To-do’ list and a ‘Not-to-do’ list.

To do are: “Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them…”

Not-to-do are: “…not turn your back on your own”, “…oppression, false accusation and malicious speech”. 

Many people like Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Florence Nightingale and others have selflessly given themselves for the good of others. They have been salt and light for the world. The goodness of their lives did not just impact the world of their time but continues to affect and inspire many generations even after their death. We are the beneficiaries.

In the same way, through our words and actions, as we strive to bring positivity and goodness to the world, we too become salt and light.

By using our talents, skills, and resources to make a difference in our parish and in the lives of those in need, we can help to bring more people to God, we become the beacon that shows the way.

So go forth and share ourselves, our stories, our hope, our faith. Our light cannot be hidden.

Strive to live in obedience to the Lord, a life of holiness, a life characterized by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

When we live in this way, by doing the right things and not doing the wrong, our “light shall break forth like the dawn”, our light will shine brighter and become a powerful witness to others, drawing them towards Christ. The world will see, know and will also follow.

Our light is not our own, it is a reflection of the light of Christ. We are the vessels of God's grace. When we allow His light to shine through us, His grace to flow through us, we allow His power to transform the world.

And I don’t have to fear darkness anymore, because as Mother Teresa said, “there is a light in this world, a healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter.” Amen.