5th Sunday of Ordinary Time Let your light shine before all

Sunset on the Nile River

Last week, we heard the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus gave us the characteristics of what it means to follow him:  we are to be in solidarity with the poor, mourn with those in pain, treat each other with mercy, and love each other with a pure heart. To follow Jesus is to realize that God is God, not any of us. We are to bring God’s peace into this world; as Christians, we must condemn the violence of this world on all sides. Jesus calls us to righteousness; in other words, we are to reflect in our relationships and in our lives, the values that Jesus told us to live by and in our faithfulness to him. We heard in the prophet Isaiah more of what we are called: share our bread with the hungry, take care of the vulnerable in the world, cloth the naked. St Paul calls us to humility and the realization that we are instruments for God to use to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven,

This is the light we are to let shine before the world and not hide it because we may be afraid or it may feel uncomfortable. This is the salt we are to season the world with. Our world is growing flat because of the angry rhetoric on Facebook, how people talk to each other, the violence we seem to be numb to, and a lack of hope that the world will not change. If we are Christians, then we are beacons of hope and new life. Is not the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus the very core of our faith? He died for us and rose for us. Being a Christian is a lifestyle and a commitment to the person of Jesus Christ all the time; not just when it convenient. Our world needs to see a different way. Our church needs to see a different way. And it is up to us to allow God to use us to make it happen.

Today is the feast of St Josephine Bahkita. She was born in what is now the Sudan in 1869 until she was kidnapped at 8 years by Arab slave traders. Over 12 years, she was sold three times. Her life was a life of suffering and pain. Being mistreated was a normal part of her life until she was brought to Italy by one of the people who had bought her. She eventually converted to Catholicism and met the Canossian sisters who cared for as Christ would. She was able to stay with the sisters when the Italian government recognized her as a free person. Eventually she joined the order and became an example of Christ to the people in the community around the convent. During World War II, the villagers found in her hope and faith. She died in 1947. I am sure many people only saw a slave or a Sudanese and never saw her holiness. She was probably judged by others in a negative way. As Christians, we can never view another person except as a child of God. We must speak for those who are maltreated, harmed, and abused. This is the Christian way.

As we prepare for Lent, let us all reflect on our Christian identity. Are we alive in Christ or do we hide his light in our bushel basket of fear? Does our faith season the world around us? May Lent be a time of rededication to Jesus and His way.