Homily 5th Sunday Ordinary Time Year A - The Light of the World

Homily (Sermon) – The light of the world

The Readings for Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 58:7-10
Psalm 111
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Matthew 5:13-16
[ All these readings can be found at www.universalis.com for the next few weeks.]

There are days when it is so difficult to shine.

Days or weeks when life seems to be too much, when everything is against you.

There can be months or years of illness, poverty and sadness in life.

That’s not the message of today’s gospel but it is sometimes the picture of the world it is being preached to.

I have had a week at work where everything went wrong.

I have a best friend who is sacred and waiting for a cancer operation. My uncle and God father is in hospital after a serious heart attack.
My family and friends get sick, grow old. We lose those close to us.

Mary, a great friend of my mum in Ireland is probably in her last few days a life, and the distance between here and Ireland make it very difficult to give my mum a hug. Those close to me are tired, scared, and worried.

I though today’s reading were going to be easy to preach on. Yet I found myself this week unable to write a single word every time I tried to prepare. How can you be the light of the world when you feel the darkness so much sometimes? How can you shine when all around is dark?

The truth is, that the smallest amount of light at those times makes the biggest difference. Let me show you….

[Lights off in church. Light a candle.]

And one light in the darkness can inspire others.

[Light a second and third candle from the first.]

No one ever told me following Christ was going to be easy. But there are times when I don’t expect it to be so difficult, so much hard work, so much tiredness, so much darkness.

When I was baptised there was a candle burning, the Pascal candle, the light of Christ. That light because of my baptism is burning in my heart. I am called to not just let that light shine when I am happy, joyful and content, but I am called to make that light shine when I am tired, scared, lonely, angry and in the dark.

I am called to make that light shine in the darkness.

The same light was burning at your baptism. That same light burns in every heart in this room. This room is ablaze with the light of Christ, your light.

Take that light out into the darkness of our world.

Feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, cloth the naked, comfort the sad and the sick. Treasure your friends and family.

Be Christ in this world.

You are the light of the world, no one, no darkness can hide you, go and shine in the world out there, go and be the example that draws the world to God.