It is 5th February 2017. We celebrate the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The readings are from Isaiah 58:7-10; the second reading is from 1Corinthians 2:1-5; and the Gospel is from Matthew 5:13-16. The readings suggest that the unbiased charity is the light of our lives and the unchanging faithfulness is the salt of our spiritual living. A Christian without charity is meaningless. The first reading offers the guidance for our lives that restores the dignity of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the naked, and the most vulnerable persons in our communities. Charity is the light for the believer. Our faith is tangibly expressed through our charity to those who are less fortunate than us. A genuine charity joins more hands in action for the good of the other. “If you share your bread with the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness.” (Is.58:10). Our life is indeed a clear disconnect when we have no time to share, shelter, and clothe the oppressed. Our personal concern and care for the other is the most powerful, meaningful and inspiring spiritual exercise we need to do daily for our souls. We cannot go on masking our souls only by rituals and pious display. We are invited by the prophet to shine among the people with our charity. The responsorial Psalm prays, “The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.” ( Ps.112:4). The second reading points out that the power of God and our faith in Jesus must propel us to do what we supposed to do for the poor. Where there is arrogance, there is procrastination. We begin to have millions of reasons to postpone the charity when we are not humble and submissive to the spirit of God. Our charity must not be guided by some human wisdom or philosophy rather our charity must be founded, and inspired by Jesus and His teachings. The Gospel invites us to be the witnesses to the faith we hold in Jesus. We each one of us have the power to shine because Jesus is in us as the light of being. Our faithfulness to Christ is the salt of our spiritual endeavors. When we stop doing good for one reason or the other, we truly lose our saltiness and get contaminated inwardly. We are baptized and have become a believer in the Lord to shine in the world. Let our little spark ignite the entire world with the warmth of love. Whenever we think of the poor and willing to do something, God thinks of us and wishes to do something for us. May you have good day.