5A SUNDAY HOMILY, MATTHEW 5:13-16, February 5, 2023
1) STORY
As soon as a fierce tiger saw a
person, he ate him. The tiger promised a
friend that he was going to change this bad habit. If he saw a Catholic, he would not eat him. However, a few days later he saw a Catholic
and ate him, leaving only the lips. When
his friend reminded him of his promise not to eat Catholics, he replied that he
smelled the man but could not find the smell of a Catholic except for his lips.
So he ate the man leaving only the lips
saying that the man spoke like a Catholic but did not act like a Catholic. He was a Catholic in name only.
2) GOSPEL: Matthew 5:13-16
A) YOU ARE SALT AND YOU ARE LIGHT
Salt and light were very important in
the past and today. Salt was used for
preserving food, such as meat and fish, in the days when there were no
refrigerators. It is used to season
food. There were no electric lights in
Jesus’ time so light from oil lamps was important for working, guiding people,
and for safety reasons.
B) YOUR LIGHT MUST SHINE BEFORE OTHERS
For salt and light to be useful, they
must be used. Salt must be sprinkled on
food to preserve and season it. It is of
no use if kept in a container. Light must be placed on a lampstand and not under a bushel as to help people see.
3) APPLICATION TO LIFE
A) YOU ARE IMPORTANT
Just as salt and light are important,
so are you. You are important to your
family, to your friends, to your employer, to your church, and above all to
Jesus. You are brothers and sisters of
Jesus, and you are his disciples. For
example, during Mass the following are important: the altar servers, lectors,
choir and organist, ministers of Holy Communion and money collectors. Jesus wants us to know that we are important.
B) YOUR ACTIONS ARE IMPORTANT
1) You are important to God our
Father. We must pray daily thanking and
praising him and asking for help and for forgiveness. We must go to Sunday Mass to hear his
instructions and receive the Eucharist.
2) We are important to others. Use often the following words: thanks, please, excuse me, and I am sorry.
3) You are important to yourself. Make every effort to stay healthy by eating properly, getting enough rest, and learning to relax.
4) CONCLUSION
The tiger could
tell a Catholic in name from a true Catholic. Just as
salt and light are important so are we important. We must live as true Catholics in our daily
lives by our prayer life, being good to others, and caring for our health.
