Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time


Today's readings, particularly the first reading and the Gospel reading, draw
our attention to the images of light and darkness. You may recall
that last Sunday for the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, I
talked about how Christ came as one of us to be a light to all the
nations of the world. This week, Christ turns the focus on us. We
as the Church are called to be the light of the world, letting the
world know of the love that Christ has for us. 


Before getting into what this means for us, let's take a moment to consider

what Jesus means when He says “You are the light of the world”.
Whenever we want to figure out what Jesus means in a particular
Sunday Gospel passage, it is good idea to look at the other readings
that the Church pairs with that passage. In our first reading from
Isaiah, we are told that if we do good things for others like feeding
the hungry and sheltering the homeless and clothing the naked, “Then
your light shall break forth like the dawn”. Later on we are told
that, “Light shall rise for you in the darkness and the gloom shall
become for you like midday”. Notice that each of these images talk
about going from darkness to light. Even that image of breaking
forth “like the dawn” conjures a picture in our minds of the end
of night and the start of a new day. We are given the stark contrast
of the gloom of night and the bright light of midday. The Psalm
continues this by giving us the refrain, “The just man is a light
in darkness to the upright”. The overall theme is quite clear, by
being a just human being, by being kind and loving to those in need,
we are bringing light to an otherwise dark place. That is what Jesus
is getting at when He tells us that we are “the light of the
world”.


Sometimes I think we get this image in our minds

of light and darkness being two opposing forces who are going at each
other for dominance. But that's not what the difference between
light and darkness really is. Light is actually made up of particles
called photons and travels in waves. Light is actually something.
Darkness, however, isn't made up of anything: it is the absence of
light. So when we turn off a light in a room, darkness doesn't come
in or take over the room. The light simply ceases and the darkness
remains.


We are so used to being in places that have some

sort of light to help us know what is around us. We have windows in
buildings that let in the sun light, and even at night street lights
or yard lights usually give at least some light that comes in through
the windows. Even when we go into a windowless room there is
typically a source of light from an electric light or the glow from
indicators on electric appliances. But have you even been in a place
where there was no natural light whatsoever and you turned off any
other artificial lights so that you were in complete darkness? I
once visited a set of natural underground caves in southern Indiana
called Marengo Caves. Because they are underground, sunlight never
makes is into the caves, so electric lights are strung throughout to
that people can see while they take the tour. At one point in the
tour, the tour guide will make sure everyone in the group is together
and then will turn off the lights for a minute or so. They call
this, “total darkness”: not a single photon in sight. It is a
very weird feeling to hear everyone around you, but to see absolutely
nothing. When the lights are turned back on, it's amazing how much
of a difference light makes in a dark place. It is that contrast,
between total darkness and the light of a clear, sunny day that Jesus
is getting at when He calls us the light of the world. 


Jesus wants us to be a light in a world that has

otherwise experienced only darkness. The light that we are giving to
the world is the love that God has for us all; the love and care that
God wants to give to those who have no one to love and care for them.
The darkness that the light is taking away is the absence of love.
Another way to describe it would be the despair that often
accompanies those who have lost all hope. If we do not love, my
brothers and sisters, if we do not show compassion and mercy to those
who are in need, if we do not offer some way to provide for those
needs, then it is going to lead to a lack of love, a lack of
compassion, a lack of hope, and a lack of joy in the world. This
leaves only hate and despair. Again, this is like the contrast of
light and darkness. But unlike darkness, which I said earlier cannot
spread or grow (it is simply nothingness), this “darkness” of
hate and despair can spread and it can grow. It leads
to bitterness in one's heart and can prompt a otherwise good person
to be uncharitable, cynical, and jaded. I think it is safe to say we
have all experienced some of this in our lives: when are treated in
an unjust way or taken advantage of or used by another. We feel that
darkness creep in and those feelings of cynicism and sarcasm towards
others and are all the more tempted to sin in various ways. For me
personally it snowballs, because I feel guilty for the sins I
committed and the darkness and those feelings associated with the
darkness keep growing. What Jesus is saying and what Isaiah the
prophet is saying and what the psalmist is saying is that we need the
light of Christ in this world to make a positive difference in the
world.


So how do we do that? How do we be a light to

the world? There are many things we can do. First off, we don't
stop praying. It's become a cliché to say, “I'll pray for you”,
but prayer is one of the most powerful tools we have as a Christian.
Pray for those in need, pray for those who help those is need, and
pray for the courage to help others as well.


We can also give in many different ways. We can

give of our time by volunteering at a charity that helps the poor.
Lent is coming soon and we'll be asked to give to Catholic Relief
Services and other organizations. We can be charitable to those
right around us as well: open a door, carry something, say a nice
word. These are just a ideas I brainstormed, but there is so much
more we can do to be a light to the world. Let us work to not let
our brothers and sisters in this world live in darkness.