CT - Catholic Telegraph

You are the light of the world

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A), Isaiah 58:7-10 (Lectionary 073, Feb. 6, 2005)

Last Sunday the Old Testament reading laid down a general principle which the Gospel reading clarified and expanded in greater detail. On this fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time the relationship between the readings is reversed. The Gospel (Matthew 5:13-16) gives the principle ("You are the light of the world") while the Old Testament reading offers the specifics about the meaning of the principle.

The Old Testament reading is from Third Isaiah, that third part of Isaiah which reflects the Isaiah tradition as it was proclaimed by the time the exile was over.

The situation of the returned exiles was not a happy one. Many Israelites chose to stay behind in Babylon rather than uproot their families again. Those who returned to the Promised Land had a hard time of it. The land to which they returned was only a small portion of what had once been the kingdom of Judah. Social and religious abuses sprouted up. Jews sold each other into slavery. Men divorced their wives to marry foreign women. Religious observance declined into formality. They were in no particular hurry to get the temple rebuilt. This is the general context of this Sunday’s reading.

The reading comes from near the beginning of Third Isaiah. Its date is sometime between 538 B.C. when the return from exile began and 515 B.C. when the temple was finally rededicated. The prophet is addressing the fasts that the returnees engaged in. He tells them that their problem is not that they are not religious but that their exercise of religion was missing the point of it all. Fasting is not about doing without food and then expecting God to be pleased. Real fasting involves putting into practice the compassionate justice of God.

This is where our reading begins. As the passage is given to us in the Lectionary, it is composed of two parts, each in a kind of conditional structure: "If you do this, that will happen." The first section (vv. 7-9a) is the longer of the two.

God tells His people that if they take care of their brothers and sisters in need, their light will break forth like the dawn, their wounds will be healed, they will be surrounded by the splendor of God and will be able to live in confidence thanks to God’s presence in their midst.

The same lesson is repeated in the second part of our reading (vv. 9b-10). If they do away with oppression and falsehood, feed the hungry, care for the afflicted, there will be light in the darkness for them and the gloom they have been experiencing will give way to the brightness of noon.

The practice of true religion, which involves compassion for those in need, will result in light, that is, in vitality, energy, a sense of direction and joy. And the light will be not just for the practitioner of true religion but for those who come in contact with the compassionate person. The darkness of their social and political situation will give way to the warmth and illumination that God offers in response to true religion, to healthy faith.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples that they are the light of the world, brightness destined for the enlightenment of the world, a standing invitation to others to give glory to the heavenly Father. But He doesn’t say in what their brightness consists, what it is that illuminates the world around them. We find that in the Isaiah passage.

By choosing as our introductory reading this passage from Third Isaiah, the church teaches us at least two things. One is that being "the light of the world" does not consist in standing around looking religious. It involves caring for those who have need of our help, getting our hands dirty in the pursuit of prosperity and justice for the world around us. That’s what makes us bright and surrounds us with the glory of God. That’s how we help enlighten the world. The other thing this pairing of Scripture passages teaches us is that Jesus’ preaching carried on a tradition that was already some 500 years old. That’s why Jesus could say, immediately after this Sunday’s Gospel passage, that He had not come to do away with the prophets but to fulfill them.

Third Isaiah does not tell his readers that religious observances are useless. Rather, he says that unless our observances involve compassion and generosity, they are not really religious at all.

For reflection and discussion

Does my life bring light to the world?

To what kinds of action does my faith lead me?



		Welcome to the online edition of The Catholic Telegraph, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Serving 500,000 Catholics in the southwest Ohio counties of: Adams, Auglaize, Brown, Butler, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Darke, Greene, Hamilton, Highland, Logan, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, Shelby and Warren.

	*Overtures* Reflection on the first readings of the Sunday liturgy By Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk You are the light of the world Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A), Isaiah 58:7-10 (Lectionary 073, Feb. 6, 2005) Last Sunday the Old Testament reading laid down a general principle which the Gospel reading clarified and expanded in greater detail. On this fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time the relationship between the readings is reversed. The Gospel (Matthew 5:13-16) gives the principle ("You are the light of the world") while the Old Testament reading offers the specifics about the meaning of the principle. The Old Testament reading is from Third Isaiah, that third part of Isaiah which reflects the Isaiah tradition as it was proclaimed by the time the exile was over. The situation of the returned exiles was not a happy one. Many Israelites chose to stay behind in Babylon rather than uproot their families again. Those who returned to the Promised Land had a hard time of it. The land to which they returned was only a small portion of what had once been the kingdom of Judah. Social and religious abuses sprouted up. Jews sold each other into slavery. Men divorced their wives to marry foreign women. Religious observance declined into formality. They were in no particular hurry to get the temple rebuilt. This is the general context of this Sunday’s reading. The reading comes from near the beginning of Third Isaiah. Its date is sometime between 538 B.C. when the return from exile began and 515 B.C. when the temple was finally rededicated. The prophet is addressing the fasts that the returnees engaged in. He tells them that their problem is not that they are not religious but that their exercise of religion was missing the point of it all. Fasting is not about doing without food and then expecting God to be pleased. Real fasting involves putting into practice the compassionate justice of God. This is where our reading begins. As the passage is given to us in the Lectionary, it is composed of two parts, each in a kind of conditional structure: "If you do this, that will happen." The first section (vv. 7-9a) is the longer of the two. God tells His people that if they take care of their brothers and sisters in need, their light will break forth like the dawn, their wounds will be healed, they will be surrounded by the splendor of God and will be able to live in confidence thanks to God’s presence in their midst. The same lesson is repeated in the second part of our reading (vv. 9b-10). If they do away with oppression and falsehood, feed the hungry, care for the afflicted, there will be light in the darkness for them and the gloom they have been experiencing will give way to the brightness of noon. The practice of true religion, which involves compassion for those in need, will result in light, that is, in vitality, energy, a sense of direction and joy. And the light will be not just for the practitioner of true religion but for those who come in contact with the compassionate person. The darkness of their social and political situation will give way to the warmth and illumination that God offers in response to true religion, to healthy faith. In the Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples that they are the light of the world, brightness destined for the enlightenment of the world, a standing invitation to others to give glory to the heavenly Father. But He doesn’t say in what their brightness consists, what it is that illuminates the world around them. We find that in the Isaiah passage. By choosing as our introductory reading this passage from Third Isaiah, the church teaches us at least two things. One is that being "the light of the world" does not consist in standing around looking religious. It involves caring for those who have need of our help, getting our hands dirty in the pursuit of prosperity and justice for the world around us. That’s what makes us bright and surrounds us with the glory of God. That’s how we help enlighten the world. The other thing this pairing of Scripture passages teaches us is that Jesus’ preaching carried on a tradition that was already some 500 years old. That’s why Jesus could say, immediately after this Sunday’s Gospel passage, that He had not come to do away with the prophets but to fulfill them. Third Isaiah does not tell his readers that religious observances are useless. Rather, he says that unless our observances involve compassion and generosity, they are not really religious at all. For reflection and discussion** Does my life bring light to the world? To what kinds of action does my faith lead me?

	[Return to top of page ] Copyright (c) 2004 The Catholic Telegraph