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1^st Reading- Extracted from the prophet Isaiah 58:7-10:

Thus says the Lord:

Share your bread with the hungry, and shelter the homeless poor,

clothe the man you see to be naked and do not turn from your own kin.

Then will your light shine like the dawn and your wound be quickly healed over.

Your integrity will go before you and the glory of the Lord behind you.

Cry, and the Lord will answer; call, and he will say, ‘I am here.’

If you do away with the yoke, the clenched fist, the wicked word,

if you give your bread to the hungry, and relief to the oppressed,

your light will rise in the darkness, and your shadows become like noon.

Responsorial: Psalm 112:4-9

The good man is a light in the darkness for the upright.

or

Alleluia!

 

He is a light in the darkness for the upright: he is generous, merciful and just.

The good man takes pity and lends, he conducts his affairs with honour.

 

The just man will never waver: he will be remembered for ever.

He has no fear of evil news; with a firm heart he trusts in the Lord.

 

With a steadfast heart he will not fear; open-handed, he gives to the poor;

his justice stands firm for ever. His head will be raised in glory.

2^nd Reading:  Extracted from the 1^st letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

When I came to you, brothers, it was not with any show of oratory or philosophy, but simply to tell you what God had guaranteed.

During my stay with you, the only knowledge I claimed to have was about Jesus, and only about him as the crucified Christ.

Far from relying on any power of my own, I came among you in great ‘fear and trembling’ and in my speeches and the sermons that I gave, there were none of the arguments that belong to philosophy; only a demonstration of the power of the Spirit.

And I did this so that your faith should not depend on human philosophy but on the power of God.

Gospel Reading: Extracted from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 5:13-16:

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again? It is good for nothing, and can only be thrown out to be trampled underfoot by men.

           ‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.’

 

Sharing:  

It was the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time on 9 February 2014.

 

The Readings that were read in the Eucharistic Celebrations all over the world on the same day are shown above.

 

We have extracted the Homilies of Blessed Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI & Pope Francis I based on the aforesaid Readings to share with you, so that you could similarly be encouraged:

 

 

JOHN PAUL II

ANGELUS

Sunday, 7 February 1999

 

1. Today in Italy we are celebrating Pro-Life Day, whose theme this year is: "Fatherhood and motherhood: gift and commitment". This is a clear invitation to reflect on the important mission of transmitting the gift of life, which the Lord has entrusted to parents. In fulfilling this task, they achieve the fullness of love and become privileged collaborators in God's creative work, as well as a reflection of his infinite and universal fatherhood.

 

Given the loftiness of this task, one naturally thinks of the frequent obstacles that arise after the children have been born: the lack of dignified work or adequate housing, or a safe, healthy living environment. And what can we say of those parents who, by yielding to a selfish and hedonistic view of life, voluntarily renounce the gift and joy of being mothers and fathers?

 

I hope that this last year of preparation for the Jubilee, which is dedicated to reflection on the fatherhood of God, will reawaken in all parents a joyful awareness of their great vocation to fatherhood and motherhood and spur public authorities to create an environment ever more favourable to the birth of new lives.

 

2. I have received the declaration against human cloning signed by many university teachers in Rome. In expressing my satisfaction with their strong condemnation of human cloning, I wish to encourage university teachers to continue developing a new culture of human rights and to defend the human person, from his conception, from anything that violates his dignity. This declaration is even more significant in the context of today's Pro-Life Day.

 

Let us pray to Mary, Queen of Families, so that all parents, in gratitude for the gift of motherhood and fatherhood, will be a sign of the heavenly Father's tenderness for every human life.

 

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After leading the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father greeted the pilgrims and visitors from various countries in their own languages:

 

I cordially greet the French-speaking pilgrims who have gathered in St Peter's Square, particularly the cadets and instructors of the Military School of Saint-Cyr. I encourage them to become ever more faithful disciples of Christ. I wholeheartedly give them all my Apostolic Blessing.

 

I now extend a greeting to all the people and groups from Latin America and Spain, especially the faithful from the parishes of St James the Apostle in Albatera, Corpus Christi in Alicante and Sts Juliana and Semproniana in Barcelona. As I entrust you to the Virgin Mary's protection, I bless you all with affection.

 

I greet the Slovenian pilgrims, especially those from Ljubljana and the Ave Chamber Choir from the same city. Dear friends, may your pilgrimage to Rome increase your faith, strengthen your hope and set your charity on fire. May my Blessing accompany you in this effort.

 

I cordially greet the Croatian pilgrims, particularly those from Split. Dear friends, may the Blessed Virgin be a model of faith and Christian witness for you in your families, in society and in your parish communities. I bless you all. Praised be Jesus and Mary!

 

A cordial greeting to all who have come to St Peter's Square with Cardinal Ruini to show their support for life.

JOHN PAUL II

ANGELUS

Sunday, 10 February 2002

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

1. Tomorrow is the liturgical memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lourdes. A powerful beacon of hope was lit in the small Pyrenean city, particularly for those suffering in body and spirit, when on 11 February 1858, Our Lady appeared to St Bernadette in the grotto of Massabielle, asking that it become a place of pilgrimage and prayer.

For ten years now, this Marian feast has been associated with the observance of the World Day of the Sick, a suitable occasion for the ecclesial community to come close to sick persons, invoking for them the support of Mary who brings comfort and light to all. This year, the heart of the World Day of the Sick, will be Vailankanny, in southern India, where we find the Shrine of "Our Lady of Health", called the "Lourdes of the East", and the goal of numerous pilgrims.

We  also  entrust  to  the  heavenly protection of the Mother of God people of the Hindu and other religions who willingly go to that Christian shrine.

 

In spiritual union, a special celebration will be held tomorrow afternoon in St Peter's, at the end of which I will have the joy of meeting the sick, health workers and volunteer associations present in the Vatican Basilica.

2. "That they may have life and have it more abundantly" (John 10,10). These words of Jesus, that we read in the Gospel of St John, are the theme of this year's World Day of the Sick. They recall the fundamental outlook of Christian faith that, even in the experience of sickness and death itself, is always open to life. The believer knows he can count on the power of God the Father, of the Risen Christ and of the Spirit of life. This prospect gives substance to the dedication of all those who in a multiplicity of ways, lovingly take care of the sick and the suffering:  doctors, nurses, researchers, pharmacists and volunteers. I wish to express my most cordial appreciation to all these servants of human life, among whom are many consecrated persons.

3. I want to remember especially beloved sick persons in every part of the world. I assure them of my spiritual closeness, reminding them that Christ assumed human suffering and made it an integral part of his mystery of salvation:  salvificus dolor (saving suffering). By uniting themselves with faith and love to the passion of Christ, the persons who suffer share in his victorious struggle over evil and death, as the witness of the saints shows.

 

Let us pray that the Virgin Mary, Health of the Sick, may assist with her protection those who suffer in body and spirit, and sustain all those who lovingly take care of them.

 

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After the Angelus.

 

A considerable portion of the human family prepares to celebrate the Lunar New Year on 12 February. I think of the Chinese, Vietnamese, Koreans and others who celebrate on that occasion.

They are peoples who are particularly dear to me and I am pleased to offer them best wishes for peace, prosperity and spiritual growth. The recent "ad limina" visits of bishops from those regions gave me the opportunity of feeling close to these populations who live in Asia, populations present in my throught and in my prayer.

 

Next Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, we will begin Lent. As is customary, I will go in pilgrimage to the Basilica of Santa Sabina to begin the penitential journey of this sacred season. Let us prepare with prayer and works of charity to enter into this time of special grace for each Christian.

 

 

JOHN PAUL II

ANGELUS

Sunday, 6 February 2005

 

1. Today, I am speaking to you from the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, where for several days I have been cared for with loving concern by doctors, nurses and health-care personnel, whom I warmly thank.

 

Dear brothers and sisters and those who are close to me in every corner of the earth, I reach out to all of you with my gratitude for your sincere and heartfelt affection, which I have felt with special intensity in these days.

I assure you, one and all, of my gratitude, which I express in constant prayer to the Lord for your intentions, as well as for the needs of the Church and the great world causes. Thus, I continue to serve the Church and the whole of humanity, even here in the hospital among other sick persons, of whom I am thinking with affection.

2. Pro-Life Day is being celebrated today here in Italy. In their Message for the occasion, the Italian Bishops emphasized the mystery of life as a relationship that demands trust. We must trust in life!

Unborn children are silently laying claim to trust in life. Many children, deprived of their family for various reasons and who can find a home that welcomes them through adoption or a foster family, also ask for trust.

 

3. I am thinking with special concern of the beloved Italian People and everyone who has at heart the defence of newborn life. In particular, I stand with the Italian Bishops, who continue to urge Catholics and people of good will to defend the fundamental right to life with respect for the dignity of every human person.

 

May Mary, Queen of families, help us to succeed in facing the "challenge to life" that is the greatest of the challenges to humanity today.

 

Acknowledgment: We thank the Vatican Publisher for allowing us to publish the Homilies of Blessed Pope John Paul II, so that it could be accessed by more people all over the world; as a source of God’s encouragements to all of us. 

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16 February 2014