5th Sunday in Ordinary Time (February 5, 2023)

Is 58.6-10; 1 Cor 2.1-5; Mt 5.13-16

• Paul shows us that it is not by words and human wisdom that we will be effective witnesses to the Gospel. Rather, it is through the power of God that we proclaim the truth about Jesus.

• Jesus Himself is more pointed. It is not because of anything we do, but because of who we are that we are able to change the world. We are salt; we are light. Salt adds flavour just by its presence in food; light drives away darkness just by its presence. Our very existence changes the world. Our character will determine the kind of difference we make.

• Even those who are vulnerable and weak, unable to be “productive members of society,” change the world by their presence. They are witnesses of God’s goodness in their own way.

• Let us pray that we do not lose our Christian identity, and that our attachment to Christ expresses itself in good works, especially in defending human life in all its stages.

Pro-Life Intercession

That God, who calls us to remove all oppression, will enable our nation to restore equal protection to the lives of children still in their mothers’ wombs, we pray to the Lord...