Good Shepherd Catholic Parish

Readings: Isaiah 58:7-10; Psalm 122:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 (R. “The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.”); I Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 5:13-16

Jesus’s two brief proverbs/metaphors for his disciples, “you are the salt of the earth” and “you are the light of the world”, clearly urge them to influence the world by good works. Salt was used to preserve meat and fish, but also, of course, for flavoring. A household lamp was hardly a city on a mountain. Nevertheless, just as a city on a mountain maximizes its visibility, a lamp set on a stand maximally casts its light. In this way, the lamp “gives light to all in the house” (a one-room house seems envisioned). Nevertheless, if one really wants the benefit of the lamp in particular parts of the house, the lamp will need to be moved from place to place. Small oil lamps were not LED light bulbs! Though all in the house could see the light, it would not supply enough light for close work, such as sewing or repairing things (or reading, if there were someone able to read and who also possessed a scroll to read). Then Jesus notes the more ominous part of these images, namely, if salt or a lamp is not fulfilling its purpose, then it is useless. So, too, disciples are useless if they do not fulfill their purpose: to preserve and give flavor to the life of faith and to allow their light to “shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

St. Paul certainly fulfilled his purpose as an apostle, for he provided great light through his preaching and letters. He preserved and made palatable the “mystery of God”, that is, God’s plan of salvation as revealed through “Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (here Paul is clearly referring to what he had already written in 1:18-25). Paul did not fulfill his purpose on his own power, for he came to the Corinthians “in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom.” The people could see the power of the Spirit at work in Paul and at work in those who came to faith. In that way, the faith of the Corinthians and our faith does not “rest … on human wisdom but on the power of God.”

We are given a great challenge by the prophet Isaiah as we reflect on what it is to be useful disciples who rely on the power of God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Isaiah, like many of the prophets, offers oracles of the Lord that decry “religious formalism”. That refers to people who faithfully perform religious duties, but do not live their faith in service, justice and peace. I’m not sure why the introductory line to the Isaian passage was not included in our reading today, but it sets the tone and notes the problem of “religious formalism”: “Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking off every yoke?” (58:6). Then our passage becomes even more practical: “Thus says the Lord: Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own” (58:7). The content of these two verses are clearly heard in Jesus’s preaching:

• the inaugural preaching of Jesus in the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4:18-19) quotes Is 61:1-2 and 58:6; 
• in the Parable of the Judgment of Nations (Matthew 25:31-26), the Son of Man/King lauds these “sheep”: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me” (v. 35-36).
• See, too, the preaching of John the Baptist: “And the crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do?’ He said to them in reply, ‘Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise’” (Luke 3:11).
• And, of course, to the young man who had been faithfully following the commandments from his youth, “Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, ‘You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me’” (Mk 10:17-22; parallels in Mt 19:16–30; Lk 18:18–30).

More than “religious formalism” is necessary to be “useful disciples” of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is NOT to say that we should not faithfully participate in our religious practices—attend and fully participate in Mass on Sundays and Holy Days; receive the Sacraments (esp. Eucharist and Reconciliation), observe days of fast and abstinence, and provide for the needs of the Church (the “Precepts of the Church”; see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, ##2041-2043). We BOTH need the community of faith, the Church, and its practices to help us grow in faith AND to become “useful disciples” who do good works that glorify God. 

Isaiah proclaims the Lord’s promises that flow from the works noted above: “Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am! [[He throws in a reminder.]] If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday.”

The good works noted by Isaiah, John the Baptist and Jesus are also written in the Psalm, in which those who do them are assured that things will go “well for” them. The Psalm response certainly agrees with those three great teachers: “The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.” Last, but far from least, another great promise should be noted. in Jesus’s parable, the Son of Man/King powerfully welcomes “sheep” who performed the works of mercy: “Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Mt 25:34b). At this point, we, like St. Paul may come “in weakness and fear and much trembling”, but the power of the Spirit that was at work in Paul and in the Corinthians, is at work in us, so that lives of “useful discipleship” do not “rest … on human wisdom but on the power of God.”

This is a “Stewardship Prayer” from Our Sunday Visitor. This prayer provides all of us good food for reflection.

My parish is composed of people like me. I help make it what it is.
It will be friendly, if I am.
It will be holy, if I am.
Its pews will be filled, if I help fill them.
It will do great work, if I work.
It will be prayerful, if I pray.
It will make generous gifts to many causes, if I am a generous giver.
It will bring others into worship, if I invite and bring them in.
It will be a place of loyalty and love, of fearlessness and faith,
of compassion, charity and mercy,
if I, who make it what it is, am filled with these same things.
Therefore, with the help of God,
I now dedicate myself to the task of being all
the things that I want my parish to be.
Amen.

PASTOR
Rev. Terry A. Roder
206 N 2nd Street  PO Box 39
Breda, IA  51436
Breda Rectory Office (712-673-2351) 
[email protected]

BOOKKEEPER/ADM ASSISTANT
Cindy Lawler
Good Shepherd Catholic Parish
304 N 2nd Street  PO Box 29
Breda IA  51436
Phone: 712-673-2582
Office Hours Mon - Fri: 8:30am-2:30pm 
[email protected]

ST JOHN THE BAPTIST-Arcadia
Julie Eich, Administrative Assistant
Office Hours: Mon & Fri 7:30-11:30 am Phone: 712-689-2595
[email protected] 

ST AUGUSTINE-Halbur
Rosie Sporrer, Administrative Assistant
Office Hours Monday 9:00am-11:00am
Phone: 712-658-2464
Fax: 712-658-2464
[email protected]