Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2026) - Fr Matthew Boland, OP

Last Sunday, we heard the beginning of the part of Matthew’s Gospel called the Sermon on the Mount. This sermon takes place in chapters five, six, and seven of this Gospel. St Augustine wrote a profound commentary on this sermon, and in the first lines of this commentary he describes it as “a perfect standard of the Christian life”. In a very real sense, this part of Jesus’s teaching provides us with a perfect guide regarding what it means to be a follower of Christ, that is, what is means to be his disciple. Christ is the perfect teacher. Part of what it means to be a good disciple, then, is to be a listener, a learner. In fact, the Latin word from where we get our word “disciple” (discipulus), and the Greek word it translates in the New Testament (μαθήτης), both simply mean “one who learns”, or “one who is taught”. If you’ve ever wondered “What does God want from me? How can I please him?”, this is the place to find the answer.

Having described the way of discipleship in last week’s Gospel in the Beatitudes, today Jesus uses two images to describe the character of a Christian disciple. One image draws our gaze downward and inward, when he says: “You are the salt of the earth.” The other draws it upward and outward, when he says: “You are the light of the world.”

The image of salt brings to mind a sense of preservation, and flavour. Of course, there were no refrigerators in Jesus’s day, and the climate was harsh. If you wanted to preserve meat, that is, prevent it from rotting, it was necessary to use salt. In terms of flavour, if you have ever had a bland meal, and added some salt, you will know the positive effect it has.

What can this image teach us about the Christian life? One thing we notice about salt and its effect is that it is invisible. It is absorbed in that to which it is added, without an obvious exterior change. It is similar with Christianity. In many contexts, we simply live as members of the communities to which we belong, taking part in society without appearing different from others. We go to work; we play sport; we live our lives. And yet Jesus says that, if we live our lives according to the Beatitudes, we will have effects akin to salt. The society will be preserved, that is, prevented, or at least impeded, from degenerating—if we live according to the Beatitudes. The surrounding culture will also develop more “flavour”, that is, flourish in beauty and sophistication. Think of the music, art, and literature, fostered by cultures “salted” with Christianity over the centuries. There is no doubt that they add more “flavour” to life.

While Christianity invisibly has these effects on the society, it is certainly not Jesus’s intention that Christianity itself be invisible. On the contrary, as he makes clear in the second part of today’s Gospel, it is meant to shine as a light to the whole world. In fact, the Greek word Jesus uses in this phrase is kosmos, that is, “You are the light of the kosmos.” While this is legitimately translated as “world”, it could also be translated as “You are the light of the universe.” That is, a light of immense brightness.

What can we understand by this image of light? Typically, it has been understood by the Fathers and theologians of the Church as indicating knowledge, understanding, and truth. Jesus himself is the light (“I am the light of the world (kosmos) …” Jn 8:12). He is also the truth (“I am the way, the truth, and the life;” Jn 14:6). Furthermore, God’s nature is light (“God is light” 1 Jn 1:5). By becoming man, Jesus reveals that divine nature to us, because he shares it as one who is consubstantial with the Father.

While this is God’s light, in his providential wisdom he has entrusted it in this world to the Church, which is called to be the “pillar and bulwark of the truth” (1 Tim 3:15). This truth of which the Church is custodian has two aspects: faith, that is, truths about God beyond human understanding; and morals, that is, how to live a life pleasing to God. In this respect, the Church is the city built on the hill-top we hear of in the Gospel: a light for the nations, to teach all who come to her truths regarding the nature of God as revealed in Jesus Christ and the way of salvation.

Each one of us as members of the Body of Christ, that is, the Church, should strive to see by this light. We are doing that today by listening to Jesus’s teaching; but we also need to nourish our understanding by learning about the Church’s teachings on faith and morals. Our lives will then shine with the Church’s light, which is the light of Christ. It’s not easy to be a disciple of Christ, but we don’t do it by our own power. God not only gave us truths about himself, he gave us himself, in his Son, to teach us how to live like God, and to give us the grace to do it. We turn soon to the Liturgy of the Eucharist in which this divine gift takes place sacramentally. Having been fed with his Word, let us ask in this Eucharist for the grace to live like him. Then, his light will shine through us in the sight of men, and seeing our good works, they will give praise to our Father in heaven, and many will come to know that Jesus is the Holy One of God.

Fr Matthew Boland, OP is the Master of Students, assigned to St Dominic's Priory, Melbourne.