THE WORD
FIRST READING: Is 58: 7-10
ls it not sharing your bread with the hungry,
bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own flesh?
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 rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: “Here I am!”
If you remove the yoke from among you,
the accusing finger, and malicious speech;
If you lavish your food on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
Then your light shall rise in the darkness,
and your gloom shall become like midday;
SECOND READING: 1 Cor 2: 1-5
When I came to you, brothers, 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.
GOSPEL: Mt 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.”
IN OTHER WORDS
Justice, according to the Greek philosopher Plato, is minding one’s business. The Chinese sage, Confucius, calls it the rectification of names, so that the prince is to act as a prince, the minister as a minister, the father as a father, and the son is to act as a son. A teacher who does not teach does not deserve the name ‘teacher’, nor does the student who does not study deserve to be called a student. If salt is to be salt, it should salty. And a lamp is not truly a lamp unless it is lighted and its light spreads through space and brightens the environment.
What is a human being if he or she is not humane? If one does not treat another as one wants oneself to be treated? What is so human about a person who steals from the poor in order to enrich oneself, who lives by corrupt practices in the guise and clout of position of leadership in government? What does it profit a man/woman to become and famous at the expense of his/her fellow men and Women? So the prophet Isaiah enjoins us to share our bread with the hungry, welcome the homeless t; our home, clothe the naked in our midst, and not turn our back on our relatives. This is our current pope, Francis, calls mercy. Mercy is another word for that light that shines in the darkness, that renews the face of the earth, that makes everything new.
Our model here is no other than Jesus, the light of the world, whose words and deeds bring solace to all and heal the broken hearts. To follow this light is to radically change everything that We touch and make all things good! This is not at all imposible. Nothing is impossible with God, if only we ourselves share in that light and be light ourselves
• Bro. Romy Abulad, SVD (CTManila)
The Word in other words 2017
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
