OMELIE / Omelie EN

08 feb 2026

08/02/2026 - 5th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Year A

08/02/2026 - 5th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Year A

Reading 1 IS 58:7-10 Psalm 111 Reading 2 1COR 2:1-5 Gospel MT 5:13-16

“Your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed” is God's promise to the people who convert when they begin to use charity towards the poor, to console all kinds of affliction, to practise justice and so lifting lift up those who are oppressed. This is the way of life that touches God's heart and begins to change the world to make it the kingdom of heaven. Jesus had announced this new kingdom to his disciples and to the crowd gathered before him on the mountain. He continues to address the Word to them, to help them understand what will happen and how beautiful their lives will be if they are consistent with his words.

When they live as poors in spirit, pure of heart, peacemakers, with meekness and humility, givers of mercy, they will become an enormous gift to the whole world. Jesus even says that they will be “the salt of the earth”. Salt is precious: it gives flavour to food, making it edible and tasty, and it is also used to preserve it for a long time. To say “you are the salt of the earth” is therefore equivalent to saying “you are indispensable”: without you, the earth is not livable; without you, the environments inhabited by human beings become places to run from. We understood this with surprise when we heard heads of state of predominantly Islamic countries ask Christians not to flee, not to abandon them, but to remain among them.

Jesus adds another image to help us understand how valuable the lives of those who believe in him are, how precious their presence is in the environments frequented by men. “You are the light of the world”: the presence of the disciples helps people to see one another, to consider themselves brothers and sisters, loved by the Father, to distinguish between good and evil, to see the true value of all things, both visible and invisible. The presence of Christians in any place is the presence of the “kingdom of heaven”.

Jesus does not limit himself to appreciating the disciples who listen to him: he also makes sure to warn them of a grave danger. They are not salt and light simply because they call themselves Christians. They are “salt and light” as long as he remains present in their lives. Like salt, they are useful because they carry his life within them, in their minds, desires and actions. If he were no longer to be present in them, they would lose all their good qualities and become useless to themselves and others. They must therefore always be careful not to let the presence of the Lord be taken away from their hearts and minds. They would become salt without flavour. The flavour of salt and its preservative quality come from the fact that Jesus is present in them. In another Gospel, Jesus will say, “Without me you can do nothing”, and “whoever remains in me bears much fruit”.

The same applies to the image of “light”. Jesus is the light of the world, “which enlightens every man”, as we heard at Christmas. The disciples are like candlesticks keeping the light on in one room or another. There must be a flame on the candlestick, Jesus! It is he who illuminates, the disciples make him present where there is darkness and gloom. They will make sure that the flame is lit: then the candlestick, placed high up, allows the flame to illuminate. They will not hide it or cover it.

Shall we leave the metaphorical images behind? The Apostle Paul helps us. He presented himself to the Corinthians in the name and with the name of Jesus, their only saviour. He was not ashamed to speak of him even though he was crucified as a criminal. Indeed, his cross is glory for the apostle.

And us? We learn, and with courage and confidence we continue to keep Jesus in our hearts, in our desires, in our minds and in our actions. We will do so by allowing ourselves to be permeated by his word, by his every revelation, by his every exhortation, even if they seem difficult to achieve.

At Christmas, we have learnt that “all things were made through him”, and therefore everything, including our body, our soul with its faculties, bears his imprint. We are kneaded with the same love that God the Father passed on to him, the Son. We are made of the same substance as God, true and gratuitous love. It is not self-interested love that interests us: we would deceive ourselves and others. Divine love is that which does not demand, does not boast, does not repay evil with evil, is benevolent, does not envy, and instead “rejoices in the truth”. St Paul says this again to the Corinthians: he tells them that he based his proclamation on the grace of the Spirit, “so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God”. This is why our life is precious in the eyes of God and for all people. We find glory in being the salt of the earth and the light of the world: let us remain in him!