Readings: Isaiah 58:6-10; Psalm 112; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 5:13-16
Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Today is the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus uses two powerful images to describe the identity and mission of Christians in the world. He tells us that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
On 5th February 2023, I preached on Christians as the salt of the earth, and on that day I promised that in 2026, if God spared our lives, I would reflect on the paradox of a light under a basket. Today, we fulfil that promise.
Jesus reminds us clearly that we are the light of the world.
At Baptism, we received the light of Christ and with it a mission: to shine that light in the world. Light guides, reveals, dispels darkness, prevents people from stumbling, and brings warmth and clarity wherever it shines.
To light a lamp and then cover it makes no sense. It defeats its very purpose and it is dangerous. In Jesus’ time, lamps were small clay vessels filled with olive oil and a burning wick. Placing such a lamp under a basket would not only hide the light, it could cause harm.
So what does it mean to put our light under a basket?
It means to hide our faith, to keep it private, silent, and invisible. It means refusing to identify with Christ, refusing to proclaim and uphold the values of the Kingdom: truth, justice, integrity, and holiness.
Many Christians today carry light, but the light is covered.
Some hide their light out of fear – fear of being mocked, fear of rejection, fear of losing approval, comfort, or friends. Faith is reduced to something quiet and convenient, something confined to Church walls. Jesus speaks directly to this fear when He says, “Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words before men, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed” (Mark 8:38). He also says, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Matthew 10:28).
Some hide their light through compromise. We know what the Gospel teaches and what the Church calls us to believe, yet we dilute the truth to fit a culture that no longer wants God. We dim the light so that it will not disturb or challenge anyone.
Some hide their light through sin. Sin clouds the light within us. When our lives contradict our faith, the light is still there, but it is weakened and obscured.
Others hide their light through indifference and complacency. They cannot be bothered to witness to the Lord or to stand for anything.
Dear brothers and sisters, the call today is clear. God is calling us to repent from the sin of hiding our light and to let it shine.
How do we make our light shine?
First, through good works. The First Reading calls us to concrete acts of mercy and justice. The Church teaches us the corporal works of mercy: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. We also have the spiritual works of mercy: instructing, counselling, comforting, forgiving, bearing wrongs patiently, and praying for the living and the dead. When these are done for God’s glory, our light shines and God is glorified.
Second, by courageous witness. We must pray against fear and timidity. Scripture tells us, “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). We must not be ashamed of our faith or of speaking about Jesus. St. Paul tells us in today’s Second Reading that he proclaimed the Gospel not with clever words, but with the power of God.
We also let our light shine by living with integrity, by speaking against evil and corruption, by standing for what is right and just, and by being a clear voice for truth, justice, and morality.
Today is the World Day of Prayer for Victims of Trafficking. This calls us to be a prophetic voice against every system and practice that violates human dignity. Silence in the face of injustice is another way of hiding our light.
Jesus is very clear. A light hidden under a basket benefits no one, just as tasteless salt is useless.
Dear brothers and sisters, the world is already dark enough. Let us not add to the darkness by hiding the light Christ has placed in us. It is time to bring our light out from under the basket. It is time to let it shine in our families, workplaces, schools, and communities.
We were created to shine for the glory of God and to lead others to Christ, who is the Eternal Light, the Light that shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome.
Amen.
Sermon preached by Fr Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on February 8, 2026