Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A-2023

From VincentWiki
Revision as of 02:57, 18 March 2023 by Ross (talk | contribs) (Created page with ":''Delight the Earth and Enlighten the World '''Jesus is the great light that shines on those who walk in the dark. He is the delight of those who live in the land of gloom.''' As God’s wisdom, Jesus rejoices in the earth and finds his delight in humans (see [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+8%3A31&version=NRSVCE Prov 8, 31]). And, of course, for him to be with us also means he delights us. And he delights us for this basic reason: [https://w...")
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Delight the Earth and Enlighten the World

Jesus is the great light that shines on those who walk in the dark. He is the delight of those who live in the land of gloom.

As God’s wisdom, Jesus rejoices in the earth and finds his delight in humans (see Prov 8, 31). And, of course, for him to be with us also means he delights us. And he delights us for this basic reason: he goes about to teach us, to preach to us the Good News of the kingdom, to heal us. It is clear he does not live for himself but for us.

No, Christ does not please himself; he would rather please others, delight them. He is one with God and worthy of our service. Yet he makes no boast of being God; he becomes the slave of all. And it is not enough for him to serve, for he also gives his life to ransom us.

Of course, we who say we are disciples should be as our Teacher. We are not to seek our own delight but that of others. We have to live for others, not for ourselves. And this what it means, too, that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

Salt is not for itself. Only when it is mixed with food, to preserve or give it taste, that its reason to be proves true. If no one uses it, it is worth nothing, even if one keeps it in a beautiful salt shaker or bottle.

And the light does not make us see in the dark is of no use either. That is why we do not put a lighted lamp under a bushel basket. We set it rather on a lampstand so that it gives light to those in the dark. No, light is not for itself.

We who make up the Church are called to delight and enlighten others.

The Church —we are it— has it from Jesus, yes, that it must go out of itself. As disciples, we are not to hide in a house with locked door due to all sorts of fear. Far from us, then, to be like the snails who are afraid to go out of their shells (SV.EN XII:81).

Indeed, the Father’s Sent One sends us, too, and gives us the Holy Spirit. Jesus wants us to go out to bring delight to the earth and light to the world. That we get others to catch, be infected with, the beatitudes so they may have the joy and the light of the Good News.

In other words, we should be “a Church which goes forth.” We are to obey the Lord’s call to go forth from our own comfort zone to reach out to the poor in all the “peripheries.” All the places that the joy and light of the Good News have yet to reach (EG 20, 24). We do have to go forth from our comfort zone. After all, we are to embody the Sermon on the Mount. Besides, there is no true bliss and glory where there is no giving up of the body and shedding of blood. Where we do not mean to know but Jesus Christ on the cross.

Lord Jesus, you want us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the word; grant that we bring delight and light to others.


5 February 2023

5th Sunday in O.T. (A)

Is 58, 7-10; 1 Cor 2, 1-5; Mt 5, 13-16


VERSIÓN ESPAÑOLA

Deleitar a la tierra y alumbrar al mundo

Jesús es la luz grande que brilla sobre los que andan en tinieblas. No deja él de deleitar a los que moran tristes en tierra de sombra.

Cual la sabiduría de Dios, juega Jesús en la tierra y se deleita con los humanos (véase Prov 8, 31). Y, por supuesto, que esté él con nosotros esto quiere decir también que él no nos puede sino deleitar. Y no nos deja de deleitar por esta razón básica: pasa por todas partes para enseñarnos, predicarnos la Buena Noticia del reino, y curarnos. Queda claro que no vive él para sí mismo, sino para nosotros.

No, Cristo no se complace; más bien, nos trata de complacer, deleitar, a nosotros. Aunque es Dios y digno de nuestro servicio, no alardea de ser Dios; se hace esclavo de todos. Y no le basta con servir, da su vida también para rescatarnos.

Claro, a los que nos decimos discípulos nos toca hacer nuestra la forma de ser de nuestro Maestro. No hemos de deleitarnos a nosotros mismos, sino deleitar a los demás. Para ellos tenemos que vivir, no para nosotros mismos. Y a esto apunta también el dicho de que somos la sal de la tierra y la luz del mundo.

La sal no es para sí misma. Solo al mezclarse con los alimentos, para preservarlos y darles sabor, se da a conocer veraz su razón de ser. No vale la sal que no se usa, por muy bien que se guarde en un lindo salero o frasco.

Y la luz que deja de alumbrar no resulta útil. Por lo tanto, no se tapa con un cajón una lámpara encendida. La hay que poner, más bien, en el candelero o en un lugar alto, para que se alumbren los que se hallan en las tinieblas. No, la luz no es para sí misma.

A los que somos la Iglesia se nos llama a deleitar y alumbrar a los demás.

A la Iglesia, —la somos los cristianos—, se le manda, sí, salir de sí misma. Los discípulos no hemos de escondernos en una casa con las puertas cerradas por miedo de un tipo u otro. Lejos, por lo tanto, de nosotros que seamos cual los caracoles que tienen miedo de salir de sus conchas (SV.ES XI:397).

De verdad, el Enviado del Padre nos envía y nos da el Espírtu Santo. Quiere Jesús que salgamos a deleitar a la tierra y a alumbrar al mundo. Y que contagiemos las bienaventuranzas a los demás para disfruten ellos del gozo y la luz de la Buena Noticia.

En otras palabras, nos toca ser una «Iglesia en salida», a la que se le llama a esto: «salir de la propia comodidad y atreverse a llegar a todas las periferias». A los lugares donde hay pobres y no hay gozo ni luz de la Buena Noticia (EG 20, 24).

Hay que salir, sí, de la propia comodidad. Después de todo, hemos de encarnar el Sermón de la Montaña. Y no hay dicha y gloria de verdad donde no se entrega el cuerpo y no se derrama de la sangre. Donde no se decide ignorarlo todo, a excepción de Jesucristo en la cruz.

Señor Jesús, nos quieres sal de la tierra y luz del mundo; concédenos deleitar y alumbrar a los demás.


5 Febrero 2023

5º Domingo de T.O. (A)

Is 58, 7-10; 1 Cor 2, 1-5; Mt 5, 13-16