Sunday 8 February 2026
5rd Sunday of the Year – Year A

Homily by Father Emmanuel Schwab

1st reading: Isaiah 58, 7-10
Psalm: 111 (112), 4-5, 6-7, 8a.9
2rd reading: 1 Corinthians 2, 1-5
Gospel: Matthew 5, 13-16

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This Gospel reading follows the Beatitudes that we heard last Sunday.
Jesus addresses the disciples while looking at the crowd: what Jesus says to
disciples, it is in view that the crowd — which is not yet the crowd of disciples
— receive something from what the disciples are going to experience.

Jesus, one might say, “makes” his disciples the salt of the earth and the light of the
world. Jesus doesn't say: you must become it, he says: you are it. "You are
"The salt of the earth. You are the light of the world." But what does it mean to be salt?
of the earth? It seems to me there's a clue in the verb that's used in the
Greek, where the Gospels are written. "If salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?"
the flavor?”, the verb that we have translated here as “to become bland” (μωρανθῇ) can also
This translates to “going mad.” It is this verb that Saint Paul will use at the beginning.
from the letter to the Romans, to say about those who do not recognize
that this world has a Creator: their wisdom has become foolish (Romans 1:22). This is the
same verb. And we know how, in French too, we can use
the adjective mad in circumstances other than human madness, when we speak
of a “loose leg” when you have a leg that no longer responds well, or when you
he speaks of a “runaway truck” whose brakes have failed and which is hurtling down the slope at full speed
appearance. If the salt goes crazy, what will we use to salt it?

In fact, this is the theme of wisdom. When Jesus said to his
Disciples: You are the salt of the earth, he said, "I impart my wisdom to you."
or "In me, Jesus, God communicates his wisdom to you." And this wisdom is not
not the same wisdom as the world. Paul, in the Letter to the Corinthians, tells us
He has already said that the folly of God is wiser than the wisdom of men.
(1 Corinthians 1:25). And Paul tells us that he did not come with the language of wisdom.
Human, he doesn't have the language of a wisdom that seeks to convince, but it is
the spirit of power that is manifested in his word. The wisdom of God is
Merciful love. God's wisdom reveals our human vocation.
which is to love as God has loved us. The wisdom of the world is more
to withdraw into ourselves. The wisdom of this world is to ensure its
behind. She sees that success in life lies in appearances, in having… The
God's wisdom teaches us that the true value of a life is to live it.
Give out of love. You are the salt of the earth.

We have received wisdom that comes from God. This wisdom is not
something added to human life. When the Church affirms that it is a
It is a lie to claim, in the name of human fraternity, to give death to a
sick, this is not a particularist point of view, this is not a point of view
First and foremost, religious… it is true wisdom that speaks first. We are…
beings of relationship and love to protect life, this life which is the light of
world, says Saint John at the beginning of his Gospel (1:4). The wisdom of which we
As custodians, we reveal that the value of a life lies in loving and
to give one's life as Jesus gave his. And if we do not live this
Wisdom, we will be trampled underfoot—that's what Jesus says in the Gospel. And to all
Choosing wisely, it's better to die crucified than trampled underfoot. I mean, it is
It is preferable to meet with the opposition because we are loyal to the
God's wisdom, that we should encounter contempt because we are there
infidels.

Thérèse has a very original interpretation of this passage from the Gospel: for
She, the salt of the earth, is the priests. And the experience she had in her
a trip to Rome, mingling with priests, something she wasn't used to doing
— she only saw priests during liturgical celebrations — allowed her
to realize that they have flaws, and sometimes big flaws like the
others. She said:


“If holy priests whom Jesus calls in his Gospel: “The salt of
the earth” show in their conduct that they have an extreme need
Of prayers, what should be said of those who are lukewarm? Did not Jesus
The question has not yet been asked: "If the salt loses its savor, what will we use to season it?"
Oh my Mother!! How beautiful is the vocation whose purpose is to
To preserve the salt destined for souls! This is the calling of
Carmel, since the sole purpose of our prayers and sacrifices is
to be the apostle to the apostles, praying for them while they
they evangelize souls through their words and especially through their
examples…” (Ms A Folio 56 r°)

“You are the salt of the earth,” Jesus said, and continued: “You are the light of the world.”
Here the Gospel is more explicit, since Jesus says: "Let your light shine."
before men: then, seeing what good you do, they will give glory
to your Father in heaven.” Seeing the good you do… The
the light by which we are constituted, or the light that we become
In Christ, this relates to our actions. Actions that conform to the wisdom of
God, who makes our lives manifest what God's love is, that our lives
demonstrate what the Gospel is, that our lives enlighten our contemporaries on
What it is to love. This action flows from our union with Jesus, and Saint Teresa
We learn, when we spend time with it, to understand that these are not
First, our efforts will produce this light, but first, the grace of God.
what God gives us in Jesus. And if we welcome him and let him...
By bearing fruit in our hearts, we will gradually see our actions change.
Sure, with the help of our efforts, but this is only help given to grace which
it truly works within us.

And here again, Thérèse has an interpretation of this passage. She meditates on this
What is charity, that is, this love of God that is poured into our hearts?
through the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom 5:5), and in her meditation, she comes to say:
I understood that charity should not remain confined within the
From the depths of the heart — Charity has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us, says Saint Paul, but this charity must not remain
deep in the heart. And that's where it connects with the gospel we heard.
“No one,” said Jesus, “lights a torch to put under
the bushel, but it is placed on a candlestick so that it illuminates all
those who are in the house. It seems to me that this torch
represents the charity that should enlighten and gladden, not only those
who are dearest to me, but all those who are in the house,
without excluding anyone. (Ms C Folio 12 r°)

That's typical of Thérèse. When she meditates on the Holy Scriptures, she
He said, "Jesus said that this light will shine on all those who are in the
"house." And she said to herself: but then, in this Carmelite house where I am, he
I need to love all the sisters and not just the ones I like.
Then she recounts how she chooses the sister who is the most unpleasant to her, the
more unbearable, to love him as the person she would appreciate the most.
And why does Thérèse experience this? Because she takes seriously what he says
Jesus. And Jesus said: You are the light of the world, and I have not placed you, I
It wasn't meant to turn you on so you would go and hide… but on the contrary,
so that your love may radiate all around you without excluding anyone.
Thérèse takes Jesus seriously and seeks to live by him.

If we are here, if we are disciples of Jesus, let us understand that
we are salt of the earth, we are custodians of the wisdom of
God; and that if we are custodians of God's wisdom, we must
to delve into this wisdom, to deepen it by engaging with the Holy Scriptures within us
letting ourselves be taught by the Church. If we are disciples of Jesus, we
Let us understand that He makes us the light of the world, never without Him, always with Him.
He, who is first and foremost the light of the world (Cf. Jn 8:12).

And so, united to Jesus each day, let us ensure that all our actions manifest
God's merciful love. And we will draw in our wake those who
will taste this salt and this light.

Amen.

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