Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Feb. 9, 2020

First Reading: Isaiah 58:1-12

To follow in God’s way, we are called to be righteous, to practice justice; to be light to the world and the salt that flavors and preserves our lives. These themes resonate through Sunday’s readings.

Sermone della Montagna (Sermon on the Mount, 1481-1482), fresco by Cosimo Rosselli (1439-1507). Sistine Chapel, Vatican City. (Click image to enlarge.)

Righteousness and justice are the essence of God’s call, Isaiah insists to the people returning from exile in the first reading and Jesus, too, will ask in his Sermon on the Mount. Being righteous and just requires us to go beyond mere fasting and ritual practice to stand against oppression, feed the hungry, house the homeless, and clothe the naked. Righteousness heals our souls and lights up our lives, as the light of Epiphany that shines in winter’s darkness will illuminate the way of our God.

Psalm: Psalm 112:1-9, [10]

Take care not to hear the “Prosperity Gospel” in today’s Psalm. Yes this ancient worship hymn imagines God rewarding the righteous with earthly power and riches in exchange for their good acts. But look deeper and it echoes Isaiah’s call in the first reading: The righteousness of those who follow God and delight in God’s commandments will endure forever. Those who are gracious and merciful, who deal with others generously and act with justice, will “rise in the darkness as a light for the upright.” The wealth we gain by living justly is not measured in gold and silver but by the example we set for others, showing the way to God.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:1-16

We continue in the opening chapters of 1 Corinthians as Paul makes his pastoral case to the bickering, divided church community at Corinth. We missed the opening of this argument as we marked the Presentation of Our Lord in last Sunday’s readings; it’s worth looking back to 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 to read it in full. But we get the gist of it this week as Paul invites the people to be humble. He reminds them that Christians appear foolish in the eyes of the world because they follow a Messiah who suffered the shame of crucifixion. In reality, though, he declares, we actually share God’s hidden and secret wisdom: The Holy Spirit provides new life through the mind of Christ.

Gospel: Matthew 5:13-20

We come in to the middle of the Sermon on the Mount this week, just after Jesus has taught the crowd the Beatitudes, promising God’s kingdom to the poor, the hungry, the thirsty; those who mourn, the meek; the humble, and all who are persecuted and oppressed. You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, Jesus tells the people. With those gifts comes responsibility, too: We are called to show God to the world through our good works. Jesus says he has not come to change the Torah – “the Law and the Prophets” – which calls us to be just and righteous: We are to love God, and love our neighbors as ourselves.