HOMILIES

Dear Audience,
For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!

Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A)

Feb 9, 2020

883

Listen Read

First Reading

A reading from the Book of Prophet Isaiah (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 rearguard. 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.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (112:4-9)

(R) The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.

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)

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)

His heart steadfast; he shall not fear. Lavishly he gives to the poor; his justice shall endure forever; his horn shall be exalted in glory. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (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.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (5:13-16)

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."

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

The book of Isaiah is one of the most important and the longest of the prophetic books in the Old Testament. It comprises 66 chapters and is divided into three main sections which appear to reflect preaching from different historical periods. The first section of the book primarily speaks of history, sin, judgment and condemnation of Israel and Judah prior to their destruction, Matthew (1-39). And, it is believed to have been written by Isaiah, a real, historical figure and Hebrew prophet who lived in Jerusalem in the eighth century before the birth of Jesus.

The second section of the book focuses on God's comfort, encouragement and promises of restoration to Israelites exiled in Babylon in the sixth century, Matthew (40-55). The third and final section of the book, deals with the eventual return from exile, the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem and the Temple on Mount Zion and a new beginning for the Israelites, Matthew (56-66). Bible scholars believe that the two latter sections were probably written by different authors, known as the disciples of Isaiah or sometimes called Second or Third Isaiah.

Today's first reading is taken from the 58th chapter of the third section of the book. It was probably written around 520 years before the time of Jesus, i.e., sometime after the Israelites had returned from Babylonian captivity, to their own land. After having experienced severe hardships in exile, separation from their homeland and mistreatment at the hands of their captors for seventy years, they didn't want to tread again the same path that led them into such condemnation and punishment. Rather, they were hoping to reconnect to the Lord God of Israel and to experience all of His promises. Hence, in accordance with the rules laid down by the codes of the Torah, they eagerly reinstituted the sacrificial rituals as a means of expression of worship and commitment.

The rituals involved both private and public sacrifices twice a day in the Jerusalem Temple which was rebuilt soon after their return from the Exile, Ezra (3:1-6). In addition, they held supplementary sacrifices on the Sabbath and during the great festival periods, like Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles, Dedication, New Moon, New Year, and the Day of Atonement, plus continued the non-sacrificial form of worship, such as prayers, study of Torah, and observance of dietary laws, which they had developed during their exile.

But sadly, there was little connection between their worship and their daily lives. Their worship was no more than empty rituals, devoid of spiritual transformation. They meticulously carried out all the prescribed religious rituals and worship practices, particularly a variety of fasting practices, while alternatively allowed systemic forms of injustice to persist in society. They didn't realize that fasting consisted not merely in abstaining from food, but in producing a change of action - a discontinuation of unjust and sinful practices. They knew of the needs of the people around them, especially the poor and the hungry; yet, they simply chose to ignore them. At the same time, they were complaining that God was not hearing their prayers or responding to their fasting. It was in this context that God spoke to His people through the prophet Isaiah.

Today's reading, i.e., verses 7-10 from the 58th chapter of the book is a part of that message. To better understand the whole message of God, let us briefly look at the six verses before the day's text.

God started His message with a call to the prophet Isaiah to cry out loudly to His people about their sins against Him. And then He went on to show the sins, in particular the sin of hypocrisy, that His people were committing. He pointed out that they were outwardly performing religious practices, such as fasting, without sincere intent and thus acting as if they were a righteous nation that had not forsaken Him. He also spoke of another sin, their complaints that their fasts had not been effective and that He was ignoring their fasting and was not rewarding them properly for their devotion, Isaiah (58:1-3).

Having identified the formalism and hypocrisy in general, God then drew their attention to the sins they were committing on the days of their fast. As they fasted, they pursued their own interests and exploited their workers, quarrelled and fought with one another. They fasted only to glorify themselves and to make their voice heard on high. But God rejected their reasons for fasting and warned them that this kind of empty, hollow, pretentious fasts and other rites, like covering themselves with sackcloth and lying on the ashes, would not be acceptable to Him unless observed in a better manner, and to a better purpose, Isaiah (58:4-5).

Going further, the Lord entreated them to get on being right with others in two ways:

By "removing bonds of wickedness, heavy burdens, and yokes" that is, by relieving others of the bondage that results from oppressive laws and social barriers, Isaiah (58:6).
By caring for others' needs, especially, by feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked and keeping themselves available for those in need. This brings us to today's text which tells us of God's promise of blessings to those who accompany their fasting with living in righteousness and love, Isaiah (58:7-10).

The blessings are:

Their light will break forth like the dawn. In the Bible, "light" serves as a symbol of life, happiness, or prosperity. So, just as the sun rises and pierces through a cloud, their happiness, prosperity and life will break forth, notwithstanding all difficulties.
Their wounds will quickly heal. Here "wound" refers to all the past calamities and afflictions which were inflicted upon them for their sins. So, the promise was that they will not only have the healing of the physical ailments, diseases and, injuries, but also spiritual healing, a complete healing and restoration of the body, mind and soul.
Their vindication will go before them. That is, their righteousness before God and before men will be manifest, and it will walk before them, make way for them, and protect them.
The glory of the Lord will protect them from behind.
When they call out to Him, He will immediately appear to help and rescue them from their troubles; He will comfort them in their grief and sorrow; He will support and supply their needs; He will guard and protect them.

God further went on to stress that if they remove from their midst "the yoke", that is, bondage, oppression, and exploitation; if they cease to falsely accuse others; if they stop speaking evil of others, which leads to contention and strife among them; and if they alleviate hunger in others and comfort the suffering and the afflicted, then they would have light, even in gloom because God would be with them, and God is light.

What is the message for us?

The practice of fasting that was prevalent among God's people both in the Old Testament and New Testament Times has continued throughout church history. It has been highly recommended by many Church Fathers and saints of every age. However, since the Second Vatican Council, fasting has been associated only with Lent, and that too formally reduced to only two days - Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. But sadly, although fasting and abstinence on those two days are obligatory for all Catholics from ages 18 to 59, many, especially younger Catholics no longer remember the prescribed fasting and abstinence thereon. No doubt, non-Lenten fasting has almost disappeared.

Here in these verses from Isaiah, we find God again calling us to embrace fasting as part of our worship. If you are not acquainted with fasting, it's time you started. You do not have to wait until Ash Wednesday and Good Friday to do this. You can do fasts any time of the year. Some Catholics keep a more rigid form of fasting. In addition to committing to prescribed observances on obligatory days, for example, they fast or give up certain things for the entire Lent season, abstain from animal meat, or hold fast all Fridays throughout the year. Some people even fast or abstain from eating or drinking anything every Sunday morning before they received the Holy Eucharist at Mass.

This fasting is related to the Jewish practice of fasting before the Passover meal each year. If you are one of those people who are regularly observing fast, please continue to do so. Because, while fasting, without doubt, brings numerous physical benefits, it also brings spiritual benefits. Many biblical stories and the lives of the saints teach us that fasting is a powerful spiritual tool that brings us closer to God and others around us, strengthens our resolve, instils discipline, makes us more humble, helps us to appreciate the goodness of the food that breaks our fast, and increases our capacity to live greatly for God, Jonah (3:5); Acts (14:23) and Matthew (4:2).

However, we must bear in mind that no form of worship, including fasting, is not acceptable to God without genuine and sincere intention. We can be as dedicated as we want to be to the prescribed rituals and spiritual exercises but that alone is insufficient to gain God's acceptance. Even extra praying and fasting and lying "in sackcloth and ashes", will not suffice. Because, God is not interested in the actions, if those actions are not also coupled with obedience to His commands. In other words, we must fast the way the Lord intends. We must make our fast truly a fasting. We must truly and utterly deny ourselves so that we can give to those who are in need and help relieve their burdens and receive relief from our own burdens.

Remember, what is written in the Letter to the Hebrews: "God is not unjust to forget your work and labour of love which you have shown toward His name", Hebrews (6:10). So, if we fast as the Lord intends, that is, take away all oppression in our midst, all wrong-doing to men, all talking of falsehood and speaking vanity, and share our food, home and clothes with the poor and needy around us, then He will bless us with light; hear us when we call upon Him; deliver us from every affliction, calamity, sickness and disease and restore our entire being to a peaceful and vibrant life; guard us from all evil and preserve our soul.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

Content Options

to download the audio file Sign In » or Register ».
generate Google Translate Layout ».
share this homily via:

Top of Page

More Homilies this Month

Use the Prev or Next buttons to read or listen to the other homilies of the month.

« Prev The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord Next » Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A)