Reflections of Caritas

THE SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

GOSPEL: MT. 5:17-37

Dear friends,

In the gospel, Jesus said that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, we will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Both were so obsessed with the laws that they had lost the meaning of the purpose of the law, the necessity for flexibility, common sense and even the meaning of mercy. Jesus reminds us that to follow God is not only about external behavior but about the conversion of our hearts and our way of living because of a deep, personal relationship with God.  To follow God is a commitment to a living relationship with God and from that relationship comes our external behavior reflecting the love of God and neighbor.

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5TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

GOSPEL: MT 5:13-14

Dear friends,

Jesus uses the metaphors of salt and light in the gospel to describe the life of discipleship. We take salt and light for granted in our society, but these commodities were more precious in ancient cultures. Just as now, salt was used in Jesus’ time for flavoring, as a preservative, and as a healing agent. Similarly, the widespread use of electricity in the modern world makes us less aware of the value and importance of light in our lives but Jesus reminds us that; You are the light of the world. Jesus shares two aspects of this mission, which He has given to us. The first is being of godly character (salt) and the second is manifesting good works (light).

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PRESENTATION OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE

GOSPEL: LK 2:22–40 (OR 2:22–32)

Dear friends,

Forty days after Christmas, we celebrate the Lord who enters the Temple and comes to encounter his people. This Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple is also known as the Feast of the Encounter. It is the encounter between God, who became a child to bring newness to our world, and an expectant humanity, represented by the elderly man and woman in the Temple.

In the Temple, there is also an encounter between two couples: the young Mary and Joseph, and the elderly Simeon and Anna. The old receive from the young, while the young draw upon the old. God’s promise does not come to fulfillment merely in individuals, once for all, but within a community.

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GOSPEL: Matthew 11:2-11

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