This week’s Gospel message for Sunday, February 5th is from Matthew 5:13-16.
“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. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.’”
Reflection: “If we are the light of the world, as Jesus tells his disciples, it is because we are reflecting the light of Christ, who also told them that he was the light of the world and all who followed him would have the light of life. When we were baptized we were given a candle, lit from the Easter candle, and told to always walk in the light of Christ. Throughout our lives, we should be conscious of that flame burning in our hearts, which we reflect to the world when we shine that light into the shadows of sin and injustice, shadows of poverty and evil, shadows that Christ’s light can dispel.” SOURCE: Pastoral Patterns, Winter 2022-2023
DAILY READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Monday Genesis 1:1-19; Mark 6:53-56
Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs (Memorial) – Japanese Jesuit Brother Paul Miki and twenty-five companions were martyred in Nagasaki, Japan. From that time until 1865, Japan remained closed to the rest of the world. Despite this isolation, the faith survived without priests and with only the sacrament of baptism.
Tuesday Genesis 1:20 – 2:4a; Mark 7:1-13
Wednesday Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-17; Mark 7:14-23
Thursday Genesis 2:18-25; Mark 7:24-30
Friday Genesis 3:1-8; Mark 7:31-37
Saint Scholastica, Virgin (Memorial) – According to tradition, St. Scholastica was the twin sister of St. Benedict, the founder of Western monasticism. What little is known about her life is found in Pope St. Gregory the Great’s second Dialogue, which is an account of her brother’s miracles. She is the patroness of Benedictine nuns.
Saturday Genesis 3:9-24; Mark 8:1-10
SOURCE: Living With Christ, February 2023