5th Sunday in O.T.

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time (year A)

(Mt 5:13-16)

Matthew 5:15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Jesus says: when you light a lamp, you cannot put it under a container, that would be absurd, but you place it on a candlestick so that it can give light to all those in the house. This is the task of the disciples, who by putting the message of the Beatitudes into practice can render a vital service to the world. Believers are defined as light and lamps. The meaning is identical, since the lamp has to do with light that illuminates, but their illumination is different. As light, the community is in reference to the world and must make itself visible among men like a city set on a hill; while individual believers, defined in their intra-community relationships, are called to be lamps for 'all those in the house'.

The light, therefore, must shine both inside and outside the community. The light that illuminates men must start from within the community and then radiate out to everyone. It is a light that flows from the very heart of every believer, rooted in the risen Christ, which permeates the entire community and then spreads out into the world. Only if every single believer shines with the light of the Risen One will the community be illuminated and become a light for the world. Light does not change reality; light makes reality visible.

In fact, the immediate consequence of light is precisely seeing: "so that they may see" (v. 16), that is, noticing something new that has been born among men - God's very action among them - which they must see through "your good works". These good works of the believer closely recall the refrain of creation: "And God saw that it was good" . The good works accomplished by the believer are parallel to God's creation. It is significant that God's creative act begins precisely with light (Gen 1:3), and in this context of light, the entire creation is then placed. Thus, the accomplishment of good works by the disciple becomes the new dimension into which humanity is called to enter. Indeed, it is precisely these good works that become the cause of a new humanity that praises God: "glorify your Father who is in heaven." Giving glory is a somewhat abstract expression. To explain it simply, we can say: love translated into works. When people want to give glory to God, all they have to do is translate the love they experience into concrete gestures towards others. The purpose of these works is that people may recognise God, and feeling loved, may discover in their own lives that there is a God who is Father, who manifests this love.

The verb 'doxazō', translated as 'give glory', will later be presented by Jesus when speaking to the Pharisees who want 'to be praised by men' (Mt 6:2), who want to be glorified by their own works; this is true idolatry. If, in doing my works, my good works, I do not seek the glory of God, but seek my own glory, I replace God and want to be the centre of attention, the subject that attracts applause and praise. If works have this negative aspect, we no longer have the light that shines.

The light of the Christian is his new life lived among men. A life made up of truth and charity, mercy and forgiveness. The diversity of life makes the difference, and this difference is transformed into the giving of glory to God. Today, it is precisely this difference that is lacking. If the difference does not exist, it is a sign that the works of the Christian are not of light.

Faith is not 'proved' but 'shown', simply, not through a demonstration, which is an intellectual fact, which may even smack of dialectics: convincing the other person. Faith is shown: the relationship you have with God and with others shines, makes you understand, makes you feel, communicates. Then the Father who is in heaven is glorified.

Our responsibility as Christians is great in every respect.

Argentino Quintavalle, author of the books

- Apocalypse – exegetical commentary

- The Apostle Paul and the Judaizers – Law or Gospel?

Jesus Christ, true God and true Man in the Trinitarian mystery

The prophetic discourse of Jesus (Matthew 24-25)

All generations will call me blessed

Catholics and Protestants in comparison – In defence of the faith

The Church and Israel according to St Paul – Romans 9-11

(Available on Amazon)

15 Last modified on Tuesday, 03 February 2026 11:19

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Argentino Quintavalle

Argentino Quintavalle è studioso biblico ed esperto in Protestantesimo e Giudaismo. Autore del libro “Apocalisse - commento esegetico” (disponibile su Amazon) e specializzato in catechesi per protestanti che desiderano tornare nella Chiesa Cattolica.

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Familiarity at the human level makes it difficult to go beyond this in order to be open to the divine dimension. That this son of a carpenter was the Son of God was hard for them to believe. Jesus actually takes as an example the experience of the prophets of Israel, who in their own homeland were an object of contempt, and identifies himself with them (Pope Benedict)

La familiarità sul piano umano rende difficile andare al di là e aprirsi alla dimensione divina. Che questo Figlio di un falegname sia Figlio di Dio è difficile crederlo per loro. Gesù stesso porta come esempio l’esperienza dei profeti d’Israele, che proprio nella loro patria erano stati oggetto di disprezzo, e si identifica con essi (Papa Benedetto)

These two episodes — a healing and a resurrection — share one core: faith. The message is clear, and it can be summed up in one question: do we believe that Jesus can heal us and can raise us from the dead? The entire Gospel is written in the light of this faith: Jesus is risen, He has conquered death, and by his victory we too will rise again. This faith, which for the first Christians was sure, can tarnish and become uncertain… (Pope Francis)

The ability to be amazed at things around us promotes religious experience and makes the encounter with the Lord more fruitful. On the contrary, the inability to marvel makes us indifferent and widens the gap between the journey of faith and daily life (Pope Francis)

La capacità di stupirsi delle cose che ci circondano favorisce l’esperienza religiosa e rende fecondo l’incontro con il Signore. Al contrario, l’incapacità di stupirci rende indifferenti e allarga le distanze tra il cammino di fede e la vita di ogni giorno (Papa Francesco)

An ancient hermit says: “The Beatitudes are gifts of God and we must say a great ‘thank you’ to him for them and for the rewards that derive from them, namely the Kingdom of God in the century to come and consolation here; the fullness of every good and mercy on God’s part … once we have become images of Christ on earth” (Peter of Damascus) [Pope Benedict]

Afferma un antico eremita: «Le Beatitudini sono doni di Dio, e dobbiamo rendergli grandi grazie per esse e per le ricompense che ne derivano, cioè il Regno dei Cieli nel secolo futuro, la consolazione qui, la pienezza di ogni bene e misericordia da parte di Dio … una volta che si sia divenuti immagine del Cristo sulla terra» (Pietro di Damasco) [Papa Benedetto]

And quite often we too, beaten by the trials of life, have cried out to the Lord: “Why do you remain silent and do nothing for me?”. Especially when it seems we are sinking, because love or the project in which we had laid great hopes disappears (Pope Francis)

E tante volte anche noi, assaliti dalle prove della vita, abbiamo gridato al Signore: “Perché resti in silenzio e non fai nulla per me?”. Soprattutto quando ci sembra di affondare, perché l’amore o il progetto nel quale avevamo riposto grandi speranze svanisce (Papa Francesco)

The Kingdom of God grows here on earth, in the history of humanity, by virtue of an initial sowing, that is, of a foundation, which comes from God, and of a mysterious work of God himself (John Paul II)

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