5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – Homily (2026)
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
Isaiah 58:7-10
Psalm 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 (4a)
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Matthew 5:13-16
February 8, 2026
“You are the salt of the earth.”
We add salt to food to make it taste better. We are to do our part to make the world a better place. What is it that we have that can make the world better?
Faith.
If we lose our faith, we lose the best thing we have to offer the world. We need to come to Mass every week to be renewed in our faith through the Word of God that is read and the Eucharist we celebrate.
This is the new evangelization. The new evangelization starts with us seeking to grow in our own personal relationship with Jesus. We need to make our hearts firm and steadfast. We need to come to know God’s truth and to “make it ours by a worthy way of life” (Prayer over the Offerings for today).
It is then that we hunger and thirst for righteousness as Jesus spoke of in the Beatitudes that we heard last week. Then we can take the light that we have received out to the world in answer to Jesus’ words, “You are the light of the world!”
We are given the light of faith to share. Many in the world tell us to be silent. They want us to hide the light under a basket. Why? So, they can live the way they want, ignorant of their sins.
There is a lot of darkness in the world today.
Why?
Because we have been silent too long.
What the world needs from us is not silence. The world needs us to be a light in the darkness.
How can we do this? It can start with addressing the bodily needs of people. We share the light by answering our Lord’s call through Isaiah to share our bread with the hungry, to “shelter the oppressed and the homeless” and to “clothe the naked.” The hungry, oppressed, and the naked can lack hope.
In providing for their bodily needs, we can bring light to the darkness in their lives.
We are also called to be concerned for the social good of others. Through Isaiah, the Lord calls us to remove from our midst “oppression, false accusation and malicious speech.”
When we do these things for our neighbors and for the Lord, our “light shall break forth.” When we do these things and then cry for help, the Lord will answer.
We bring forth light by treating people with love, love that begins with us receiving God’s love. When our Community Table ministry serves a hot meal, it is more than physical food. We seek to provide a caring presence by eating with them and praying with them.
It is when we do good acts that we offer testimony to our faith. The light shines through our good deeds.
We also need to share words of faith. Why don’t you?
Do you fear persecution or ridicule for your faith? Remember what Jesus says in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in Heaven.”
Do you find yourself unsure what to say about our faith?
Look around you and see the empty pews. 25 years ago there were a lot more people in church. What happened?
We have not shared the faith as we should.
What should we say?
First, share what you know. Paul spoke of how he “did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.” As a Pharisee, Paul was highly educated but when taking the gospel to new people, he did not begin with long theological discourses. He began by preaching “Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
Start sharing your faith with the fact that Jesus died for our sins because He loves us. This is the most important thing there is to share.
Then share that He rose from the dead in the Resurrection to reveal to us that God has power even over death.
Then, think about what your faith means to you. Pray for the words to express what your faith means to you. Live your faith in the everyday things you do as “a demonstration of Spirit and power.” Then, your words and actions will help others find meaning and value in our faith.
When others ask what gives you hope, speak of what your faith means to you and the power of God at work in you.
When you pray, pray for the conversion of others.
These things are the work of real evangelization. In these things, we bring light to the world.
Please look around the church again. See the empty pews. There is someone that God is calling to sit in each and every empty seat.
What are you going to do to help bring them here?