Reflections of Caritas

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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SECOND SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME 

GOSPEL: JOHN 1:29-34

Dear Friends,

The Christmas season is over.  Now we move on with the very beginning of Jesus’ public life, usually referred to as his ministry.  We come upon John the Baptist seeing Jesus and pointing to him.  “This is the Lamb of God,” he says.

John the Baptist found his reason for existence.  He was to point out the Lamb of God to the world.  His mission is the mission of every Christian.  We are to point out the Lamb of God to the world. We are called to live our lives fully witnessing to Him.  And this we do by finding our space in the universe.  

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GOSPEL READING: MATTHEW 3:13-17

RENEW YOUR BAPTISMAL PROMISES

Dear friends,

As we celebrate the feast of “The Baptism of the Lord” by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, it marks the end of the liturgical season of Christmas. We recall Our Lord's second manifestation (or epiphany) which occurred on the occasion of His baptism in the Jordan. Jesus descended into the River to sanctify its waters and to give us the power to beget sons of God.

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