Homily - 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

Homily
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 8, 2026

 

We are the salt of the world. You and I are the salt of the world. What does that mean?

 

We are the light of the world. You and I are that city set on a mountain lighting the way. How are we to understand this? It must be important. Light, or reference to the Greek word phos, meaning light, lamp, torch, fire, the sun, any source of illumination, is mentioned over 400 times in the bible. Salt is mentioned around 40 times as a sign of preservation, purity, permanence, as in Covenant.

 

To try to understand this, let’s start at the beginning. God is the source of everything. All that we know, all that we see, all that is, comes from God. God is Light. God is Pure. God is Love. And we are made in His image and likeness.

 

Now here is the kicker; God does what He wills. He can do whatever He wants. He is God. And when He made us, He gave us that same gift of free will. We get to choose whatever we want.

 

So how will we choose?

 

Our first reading gives us some directives: “Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry, bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own flesh?” Isaiah 58:7 When we do so, we get a positive reaction: “Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.” Isaiah 58:8

 

Sounds like God has our back. We just need to do what He has already done for us: just as He has given us everything, we need to give to Him, and to each other, some of what He has bestowed upon us.

 

World Marriage Day is celebrated today. The Catholic Church (and many Christian communities) dedicate this day to honoring and celebrating the sacrament of marriage. It recognizes married couples as the foundation of the family and society, saluting the beauty of their faithfulness, sacrifice, commitment, and joy in daily married life.

 

It all begins with love for one another; just as God the Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father, we must love one another. Husband and wife, father and son, mother and daughter, neighbor and coworker, the person sitting next to you in the pew, the driver on the road cutting you off to turn right from the left lane.

 

This is the light that shines and cannot be hidden. This is the salt that seasons and must not lose its flavor. Our love must never be hidden or lost. It’s our choice. And God has our back. And we can always come back to God to be renewed, refreshed, strengthened and healed; we only need to frequent the Sacraments. Everything we have, and everything we are, comes from God. And we can always come back to Him for more.

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