20230205 LIGHT YOUR CANDLE
05 February 2023 Sunday, 5th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Isaiah 58:7-10 © |
Then will your light shine like the dawn
Thus says the Lord:
Share your bread with the hungry,
and shelter the homeless poor,
clothe the man you see to be naked
and do not turn from your own kin.
Then will your light shine like the dawn
and your wound be quickly healed over.
Your integrity will go before you
and the glory of the Lord behind you.
Cry, and the Lord will answer;
call, and he will say, ‘I am here.’
If you do away with the yoke,
the clenched fist, the wicked word,
if you give your bread to the hungry,
and relief to the oppressed,
your light will rise in the darkness,
and your shadows become like noon.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 111(112):4-9 © |
The good man is a light in the darkness for the upright.
or
Alleluia!
He is a light in the darkness for the upright:
he is generous, merciful and just.
The good man takes pity and lends,
he conducts his affairs with honour.
The good man is a light in the darkness for the upright.
or
Alleluia!
The just man will never waver:
he will be remembered for ever.
He has no fear of evil news;
with a firm heart he trusts in the Lord.
The good man is a light in the darkness for the upright.
or
Alleluia!
With a steadfast heart he will not fear;
open-handed, he gives to the poor;
his justice stands firm for ever.
His head will be raised in glory.
The good man is a light in the darkness for the upright.
or
Alleluia!
Second reading |
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 © |
The only knowledge I claimed was of the crucified Christ
When I came to you, brothers, it was not with any show of oratory or philosophy, but simply to tell you what God had guaranteed. During my stay with you, the only knowledge I claimed to have was about Jesus, and only about him as the crucified Christ. Far from relying on any power of my own, I came among you in great ‘fear and trembling’ and in my speeches and the sermons that I gave, there were none of the arguments that belong to philosophy; only a demonstration of the power of the Spirit. And I did this so that your faith should not depend on human philosophy but on the power of God.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn8:12 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light of life.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 5:13-16 © |
Your light must shine in the sight of men
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again? It is good for nothing, and can only be thrown out to be trampled underfoot by men.
‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.’
LIGHT YOUR CANDLE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Is 58:7-10; Ps 112:4-9; 1 Cor 2:1-5; Matt 5:13-16]
When we look at the situation in the world today, we are bewildered by the rapid change in cultural and family values. The values of fidelity in marriage and filial piety in family life are not seen as important to the modern generation. We are living in an age of individualism. With the negative influence of the West, marriage is seen as a private affair between two persons. It is entirely the decision of the wedding couple. The sanctity of marriage and the social responsibility of marriage are no longer considered.
Marriage, since time immemorial and in every culture and religion, was very much connected to the family and the community. That was why every marriage was a social celebration, not just a private celebration between the couple. In fact, the family and the community took precedence. Every marriage strengthened the family because a relationship was forged with the family of the bride or bridegroom. Procreation was considered an important aspect of marriage, because it meant the perpetuation of the clan and the tribe. It was considered an obligation to their ancestors. This explains why marriage in the past was always celebrated with a community, especially among relatives and friends as witnesses; and it began by paying respects to their ancestors and to their parents.
This individualism is even more enhanced in same sex union. Marriage is about themselves, without due regard for their parents or their sensitivities, or the greater good of the community. It is considered a private affair and the community has no right over their choices. It is my right to be with whomever I like. Marriage has no social obligation although they expect the community to grant them the same privileges given to heterosexual married couples. But the real reason such privileges are given is simply because they are bringing children into the world and therefore they need to be given support. Without procreation as a necessary property of marriage, marriage has no social obligation to anyone or to the sustainability of the community. It is tantamount to having two singles cohabiting for convenience.
Today, we are concerned about the sustainability of the environment and the planet. But we are not concerned about the sustainability of the human community. When the family is fragmented and has lost its importance in society, what we see is more and more of our people becoming more individualistic, living for themselves, without any social commitment to the rest of society. They do not want children so that they can travel and enjoy life without hindrance. But when they grow old, they expect others to look after them. And they believe they will be looked after because they can pay, since whatever they earn is only used for themselves. Of course, due to the declining younger population, in time to come, we will need AI to look after us. It will be purely transactional, and the human touch is lost.
Indeed, such a trend in individualism, beginning with the family, extends to the rest of society. We have lost our spirit of unity and care and concern for others. We have become a selfish and self-centred generation. The rich are getting richer, the powerful becoming more powerful, dominating and making use of the poorer people and less developed countries to make them even richer. The Covid-19 Pandemic has shown how selfish some nations are when it comes to sharing their resources with other countries to battle this once deadly virus.
Prophet Isaiah reprimanded his community about living for themselves. He asks us to also look after the rest of the community. We are called to live a life of integrity, compassion and honesty. “Share your bread with the hungry, and shelter the homeless poor, clothe the man you see to be naked and turn not from your own kin. Then will your light shine like the dawn and your wound be quickly healed over. Your integrity will go before you and the glory of the Lord behind you. If you do away with the yoke, the clenched fist, the wicked word, if you give your bread to the hungry, and relief to the oppressed, your light will rise in the darkness, and your shadows become like noon.”
So, what must we do to bring about these changes? There is no point lamenting, complaining or condemning the individualistic generation. There is also no point arguing because we can always justify our preferences. It depends on faith in God and whether we accept the gospel as the way to fullness of life. This was what St Paul wrote, “During my stay with you, the only knowledge I claimed to have was about Jesus, and only about him as the crucified Christ. Far from relying on any power of my own, I came among you in great ‘fear and trembling’ and in my speeches and the sermons that I gave, there were none of the arguments that belong to philosophy; only a demonstration of the power of the Spirit.” How do we demonstrate the power of the Spirit if not by living the life of the Crucified Christ?
What the scripture asks of us is to be the light of Christ. Instead of cursing the darkness, let us be that candle that helps to light up the world. We are not the light of the world, only Christ is the light. But in Christ, all of us together will become the light that shines out on the hilltop for everyone to see. When all candles are lighted, we become a powerful light that shines out in the world. Indeed, our Lord remarked, “‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house.”
The best way to counter the negative trends of society is to promote the Christian gospel and the values taught by our Lord. Jesus said, “In the same way your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.” We must show how to live authentic lives. Before the community can become a light, each individual and each family must light their own candle. We need to be examples of loving marriages, nurturing and secure families, united in love and having a deep reverence for God and the Word of God. There is no better way to deal with the current self-centred lifestyles than to demonstrate that the best lifestyle is that of a loving family with strong and intimate relationships, and a love that overflows beyond the couple to their children and to society. When love is shared, love gets stronger. When the light is shared, the candle does not become less bright. On the contrary, the light of the candle multiplies and then the whole earth is lighted up.
We need mentors and role models as to how we can find true happiness in life. Whether we are priests, religious, married or single, we are called to help our people to live their lives meaningfully. This is where we are called to be salt of the earth. Salt is to add flavour to life. Salt is also the way we preserve society from evil, impurity and the selfish lifestyles of the world. We must give the world the salt by showing how we preserve our good relationships with our spouse, our parents, our children, our relatives and our community. We show them that life is about living and loving when we have a community to support us and to grow together in life. When there is love and when there is unity, mutual support and encouragement, then this life is not too difficult even when we face trials, sickness or natural disasters in life. So long as we have the support of the community, we can endure our trials. The psalmist says this about good role models. “He is a light in the darkness for the upright: he is generous, merciful and just. The good man takes pity and lends, he conducts his affairs with honour.”
Indeed, the family is always the bedrock of society. When marriage and family life is weak, society becomes fragmented as they do not know how to live in a community. They become inward-looking. But if the family is well and closely knitted, the examples of the parents in nurturing their children, in loving each other, in supporting each other; and together in loving their children, and reaching out beyond their family in society, their children will certainly learn from their examples of love and they will also desire to share their joy of loving within and without the family.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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