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Reflection on the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
The prophet Isaiah calls us to something radical: share your bread with the
hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked. But notice what happens when we
do this: "your light shall break forth like the dawn." God isn't just
asking us to be kind. He's revealing a profound truth about how His light
enters the world. It comes through our hands, our compassion, our willingness
to see another person's need and respond. When we feed someone who is hungry,
we become the answer to their prayer. When we offer shelter to someone in need,
we become God's providence made visible. Our acts of mercy aren't just good deeds;
they're the very way divine light pierces through darkness into our broken
world.
Saint Paul tells the Corinthians that he came to them not with eloquent wisdom
but "in weakness and fear and much trembling," relying entirely on
the Spirit's power. This is crucial for understanding what Jesus means when He
calls us salt and light. We might think we need to be impressive, to have all
the answers, to shine with our own brilliance. But Paul shows us otherwise. The
light that shines through us isn't ours at all, it's God's. Like the moon
reflecting the sun's light, we simply reflect the love and truth of Jesus. When
we pray the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary, we contemplate Jesus as the Light
of the World, and we see Mary pointing always to Him, never to herself. She
teaches us that true greatness lies in becoming transparent to God's grace, in
letting His light shine through our littleness.
Jesus tells us we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, but
then He adds something important: don't hide your light under a basket. This
connects directly to Isaiah's promise, when we share what we have, when we
remove "the yoke" of oppression and "the pointing of the
finger," then "your light shall rise in the darkness." The light
Jesus speaks of isn't something we manufacture through our own efforts. It's
the natural radiance that comes from a life lived in love, from hearts
transformed by encountering Jesus. When we meditate on the mysteries of the
Rosary, we're not just remembering events from long ago. We're allowing Mary to
teach us how Jesus lived, how He loved, how He gave everything. Each Hail Mary
is like polishing the lamp of our hearts, clearing away the grime so God's
light can shine more brightly through us.
The beautiful truth these readings reveal is that faith without action grows
dim, but love in action becomes brilliant light for all to see. We don't bring
light to the world by talking about Jesus in grand theological terms; we bring
light by doing what Isaiah describes: feeding, sheltering, clothing, loving.
The Rosary forms us for this mission. As we hold those beads and contemplate
the life of Jesus through Mary's eyes, we're being transformed into people who
naturally share what we have, who see Jesus in the hungry and the stranger, who
let our light shine not for our own glory but to lead others to the Father.
This is the mystery of Christian life: we become light by giving ourselves
away, we find our purpose by serving others, and we shine brightest when we're
pointing not to ourselves but to Jesus, the true Light of the World.
Questions for Reflection:
- When have I experienced God's light breaking
through in my life specifically because someone performed an act of mercy
for me, and how did it change me?
- What "baskets" am I tempted to hide my
light under: comfort, fear of judgment, busyness, or desire to fit in, and
what would it look like to remove them?
- How does praying the Rosary, especially the
Luminous Mysteries, help me see more clearly where Jesus is calling me to
be salt and light in my daily encounters?
- Isaiah says our light breaks forth when we share
our bread and remove "the pointing of the finger.” What harsh
judgments might I be holding onto that dim the light in my own life?
- In what specific, practical way is Jesus inviting
me this week to let my light shine, knowing that even the smallest act of
love can illuminate someone's darkness?
©2026 James Dacey, Jr., OFS
