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Dear Preachers:
If we were to ask the prophet Isaiah to describe what religion in the modern world should look like, he would tell us what he told the post-exilic Jewish community in Jerusalem: share bread with the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, do not turn your back on your own, and remove oppression, accusation, and malicious speech. When we do these things, the prophet tells us, our “light shall break forth like the dawn.”
These days there is much darkness and many shadows that cannot be overcome simply by switching on a wall light. We religious folk do not always confront the darkness around us: economic inequality, racism, mass incarceration (for example, our downtown Dallas jail has almost 7,000 inmates), migration crises, and environmental degradation.
Our neighbors can be suspicious of religion when we talk about justice, but do not practice it. Do we “talk the talk and walk the walk”? Authentic faith must be embodied – at our dinner tables, in shelters, clinics, classrooms, neighborhoods, and even in the halls of government.
The prophet is not just addressing personal sin. He anticipates modern discussions of what we now call “structural sin.” He calls us to examine systems that benefit some while burdening others. He personalizes our response to the needs of others. The poor are not problems to be solved, but flesh-and-blood neighbors to be embraced. Isaiah is not only addressing individual responsibility; he is issuing a call to nations and to the religious community. When we unite to act justly and kindly toward all, communities become places where light returns and wounds are healed – emotionally, spiritually, and socially.
Our world remains in shadows and darkness. Isaiah promises that “the gloom shall become for you like midday.” This comes about not merely by speaking words. As I write this, we are celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. His words remain powerful and illuminating because they were backed by prophetic witness. The world was brightened by his words because his life made God visible. Isaiah reminds us that God rejects a religion confined to ritual alone. He calls his hearers to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, free the oppressed, and heal broken lives.
Jesus echoes Isaiah’s teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, from which today’s Gospel is taken. We are “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.” These are not automatic badges of membership for his followers, nor are they abstract beliefs or private holiness. They are a call to action. Our light must “shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” These “good deeds” are the visible signs Isaiah describes.
Salt has developed a negative reputation. How many of us have been told by our doctors, “Cut down on your salt intake”? But Jesus focuses on salt’s ability to preserve and to give flavor. Isaiah warns that when a society neglects the poor and vulnerable, it rots from within. When disciples feed, shelter, and defend the weak, they act as salt – agents of resistance to moral and social decay.
Where would we be without light to guide and reveal our way? Jesus promises that darkness will be dispelled, that it will be like noonday. In our world of shadows, people weighed down by fear, inequality, and indifference can shine when our works of mercy illuminate God’s presence.
Our world is hungry for hope. When believers feed the hungry, welcome the homeless, lift burdens, and speak without malice, we become salt that preserves what is human and light that makes God believable.
In our Church, we treasure our sacramental life, doctrine, and tradition. Yet Isaiah and Jesus insist that belonging to a religious community is not enough. Jesus is not complimenting us when he says, “You are the light of the world”; he is challenging us. Our responsibility as his followers is to be light in the dark places of our world. Our parishes, schools, and ministries must not be known first for what we oppose, but for whom we feed, welcome, defend, and heal through our service.
We do not lack teaching, but we must ask ourselves: do we embody what we teach? We risk becoming cultural Catholics if we are not in solidarity with the poor, migrants, the imprisoned, the sick, and the forgotten.
Catholic Charities, parish food pantries, prison and hospital ministries, immigration services, and shelters are not “extra works.” They are who we are – “salt of the earth” and “light of the world.” We Catholics need to be brighter, not just louder.
This has become for our Church an era of scandal, polarization, and mistrust. It is not a matter of “image repair,” but of turning again toward the poor and vulnerable. This is what the prophets Isaiah and Jesus guide us to do. We cannot keep our faith behind church walls; our lives must illuminate the lives of those most in need. When we live mercy, our Church becomes salt and light that cannot be ignored.
Click here for a link to this Sunday’s readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020826.cfm
“We must not withhold [the light of faith] as if we were our property. Instead we are called to make it shine throughout the world, to offer to others through good works….” Pope Francis (on Matthew 5:13-16)
Share your bread with the hungry. --Isaiah 58: 7
The advocacy group, Bread for the World, writes: “It is commonly known that the cause of hunger in the world is not a shortage of food but rather access to food. Some people are hungry because food is in short supply in their area and for a specific reason. It may be because they can’t afford to buy enough food. It may be both. Some countries have a ‘hunger season’ every year. It's when the previous harvest is gone and the next harvest is not yet ready. It can last as long as three or four months. “The U.S. doesn’t have that kind of a hunger season, but for many families, some weeks are hungrier than others. These usually come toward the end of the month, as families run short of food before they have money to buy more. People can’t simply decide to spend less on rent, but if necessary, they can spend less on food. For many low-wage workers, retirees, people with disabilities, and their families, even careful planning cannot stretch the grocery budget throughout the month. Less expensive — and less nutritious — filler foods can keep children’s stomachs from growling, but they can’t provide what children need to grow and learn. Adults who are missing meals because they can’t afford to buy food can’t concentrate as well at work.” Catholic social teaching tells us that after charity comes solidarity, relationship. Relationship leads to advocacy for just changes because bonds with those on the margins help us become the “light of the world.”
You can begin today to effect change by participating in any of the following food ministries here at Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral: Catholic Parish Outreach Food Pantry, Helen Wright Shelter for Women dinners, Oak City Cares weekend meals for homeless and hungry, and/or Women’s Center lunches for homeless women. More detailed information can be found on the HNOJ Cathedral website (Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral | Corporal Works of Mercy). To join, contact: socialconcern@hnojnc.org
To begin helping with advocacy, take action at the Bread for the World website, http://www.bread.org/about-hunger, as they write: “We can virtually end hunger in our time. Each person who takes action with Bread for the World helps us get closer to that goal.” The one who becomes a light to the world brings forth a new day of grace and justice and it begins by sharing your bread.
Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, Raleigh, NC
Mini-reflections on the Sunday scripture readings designed for persons on the run. “Faith Book” is also brief enough to be posted in the Sunday parish bulletins people take home. From today’s Gospel reading:
Jesus said to his disciples: "You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Reflection:
Jesus reminds us that faith is not meant to be hidden or kept private. Like salt, our discipleship is meant to bring flavor, preserve what is good, and make a difference where we live and work. Like light, our lives are meant to reflect God’s goodness so others can find their way. When we live the Gospel with integrity, kindness, and courage, our ordinary actions become signs of God’s presence in the world.
So, we ask ourselves:
1. Where in my daily life is God calling me to be more visible in faith and love? 2. How do my words and actions help preserve what is good in my family, parish, or community 3. What might be causing my faith to lose its “saltiness,” and how can I renew it today?
POSTCARDS TO DEATH-ROW INMATES
“One has to strongly affirm that condemnation to the death penalty is an inhuman measure that humiliates personal dignity, in whatever form it is carried out.” ---Pope Francis
Inmates on death row are the most forgotten people in the prison system. Each week I am posting in this space several inmates’ names and locations. I invite you to write a postcard to one or more of them to let them know that: we have not forgotten them; are praying for them and their families; or whatever personal encouragement you might like to give them. If the inmate responds, you might consider becoming pen pals.
Please write to: Wayne Laws #2348970 (On death row since 8/21/1985) Jerry Conner #0085045 (4/30/1991) Clinton Rose #0351933 (12/19/1991) --Central Prison P.O. 247 Phoenix, MD 21131 Please note: Central Prison is in Raleigh, NC., but for security purposes, mail to inmates is processed through a clearing house at the above address in Maryland.
For more information on the Catholic position on the death penalty go to the Catholic Mobilizing Network: http://catholicsmobilizing.org DONATIONS
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