This Sunday’s Liturgical Readings and music for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, revolve around and reflect Jesus’ well-known words in Matthew 5:13-16. There, Jesus tells his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth,” and “You are the light of the world.” Jesus uses the metaphors of light and salt to show how his disciples should live in the world. In the First Reading, Isaiah 58:7-10, the prophet Isaiah gives practical examples of how light can spread in the community. He says: “Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and homeless, and clothe the naked.” He continues by calling for the removal of “oppression, false accusation and malicious speech.” He states “Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,” and that then “light shall rise for you in the darkness…” The responsorial refrain from Psalm 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9, echoes this theme of light, serving as a bridge to Paul’s words in the Second Reading and Jesus text in the Gospel Reading: “The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.” The Psalmist proclaims: “Light shines forth in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, and merciful, and just.” Like Isaiah, the Psalmist celebrates the blessings given to those who act justly: “His heart is “firm,” “steadfast,” “he shall not fear,” and “his horn shall be exalted in glory.” In the Second Reading, 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, Paul reflects on his mission, emphasizing that his preaching did not rely on “sublimity of language or of wisdom,” but rather on “the demonstration of Spirit and power.” Paul states that the Corinthians’ faith should rest not on human wisdom but on God’s power. Then in the Gospel reading, Jesus continues to further instruct his disciples not to hide their light under a bushel basket, but to let their good deeds shine before others, “so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” In all, the message is that the faithful have a mission to show and reflect God’s light, love and justice to the world.

Sunday’s Entrance Hymn Gather Us In (Worship Hymn no. 836) excellently highlights the themes found in the liturgical readings. Verse 1 opens with “Here in this place new light is streaming” and “Now is the darkness vanished away,” mirroring Isaiah’s promise of light breaking through darkness. The hymn opens by deliberately welcoming “the lost and forsaken” and “the blind and the lame,” directly responding to Isaiah’s call to care for the afflicted and marginalized. Verse 2 declares the community is “Called to be light to the whole human race,” a direct paraphrase of Matthew 5:14. Marty Haugen poetically writes a petition for God to “Give us the courage to enter the song.” In verse 3, there is a reflection of Jesus words that “Call us anew to be salt for the earth.” The Psalmist describes the just person as “merciful, and compassionate,” and Jesus commands his followers to let their light shine so others “may see your good works. Likewise, in this hymn, God is petitioned to “teach us to fashion, Lives that are holy and hearts that are true,” reflecting again the idea that the faithful have an active role in bringing goodness to the world. Marty Haugen wrote the text and music to Gather Us In in 1982, reflecting “upon the community of believers and their work together for the kingdom of God.” Dr. Michael Hawn writes that “One cannot separate the lively dance-like melody from this effective text. The modal, folk-like quality of the melody literally gives the community the sense that they have gathered in a joyful dance of celebration.”

Here is a version of Gather Us In as sung by the St. Olaf Choir in Northfield Minnesota: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMmQyc5fFcs

Gather Us In Marty Haugen:
Here in this place the new light is streaming; now is the darkness vanished away; see in this space our fears and our dreamings brought here to you in the light of this day. Gather us in, the lost and forsaken; gather us in, the blind and the lame; call to us now, and we shall awaken; we shall arise at the sound of our name.

We are the young, our lives are a mystery. We are the old who yearn for your face. We have been sung throughout all of history, called to be light to the whole human race. Gather us in, the rich and the haughty; gather us in, the proud and the strong; give us a heart, so meek and so lowly; give us the courage to enter the song.

Here we will take the wine and the water; here we will take the bread of new birth. Here you shall call your sons and your daughters, call us anew to be salt for the earth. Give us to drink the wine of compassion; give us to eat the bread that is you; nourish us well, and teach us to fashion lives that are holy and hearts that are true.

The Presentation Hymn features a text by the celebrated contemporary hymn writer, Ruth Duck: As a Fire Is Meant For Burning (Worship Hymnal No. 734). This hymn speaks to “putting faith into action” and underscores the Gospel’s imperative to “let your light shine.” The text connects ministry with community and social justice, echoing the themes of Isaiah 58 and Matthew 5:16, when it states: “So the church is meant for mission, Giving glory to God’s name,” and that “We join hands across the nations, Finding neighbors ev’rywhere.” The theme of light returns in verse three, where the hymn states: “As a rainbow lights the heavens, When a storm is past and gone, May our lives reflect the radiance Of God’s new and glorious dawn.”
The hymn tune, BEACH SPRING features an early American melody, giving the hymn a warm, traditional feel. The author, Ruth Duck (1947-2024), was an ordained minister and a Professor of Worship at the Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. Over 150 of her hymns are published in numerous hymnals, and in 2013 she was named a Fellow of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, in recognition of her monumental contribution to contemporary hymnody. Robin Knowles Wallace wrote: “Her hymn texts and worship resources call for a world that looks more like God’s vision for the world, with flourishing nature, especially birds, and flourishing human relationships based on justice, mercy, and love.”

As a fire is meant for burning With a bright and warming flame, So the church is meant for mission, Giving glory to God’s name.
Not to preach our creeds or customs, But to build a bridge of care,
We join hands across the nations, Finding neighbors ev’rywhere.

We are learners; we are teachers; We are pilgrims on the way.
We are seekers; we are givers; We are vessels made of clay. By our gentle, loving actions,
We would show that Christ is light. In a humble, list’ning Spirit,
We would live to God’s delight.

As a green bud in the springtime Is a sign of life renewed,
So may we be signs of oneness ‘Mid earth’s peoples, many hued. As a rainbow lights the heavens When a storm is past and gone, May our lives reflect the radiance Of God’s new and glorious dawn.
Here is a link to As a Fire Is Meant For Burning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiiijpv1rdk

At the 11:30 Mass, the Choir will sing the anthem: Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies, by T. Frederick H. Candlyn.

Christ, whose glory fills the skies, Christ, the true and only Light,
Sun of righteousness, arise, triumph o’er the shade of night; Day-spring from on high, be near; Day-star, in my heart appear.

Dark and cheerless is the morn unaccompanied by Thee;
joyless is the day’s return, till Thy mercy’s beams I see, till they inward light impart,
glad my eyes, and warm my heart.
Visit then this soul of mine, pierce the gloom of sin and grief; fill me, radiancy divine,
scatter all my unbelief;
more and more Thyself display, shining to the perfect day.

This anthem’s text is attributed to the celebrated English Hymn writer, Charles Wesley (1707-1788), and it especially reflects the themes of salt, light and mission. The text establishes the source of light that the faithful are to share: “Sun of Righteousness, arise, Triumph o’er the
shades of night.” Isaiah speaks of the light that will “break forth like the dawn,” echoed here as “Dayspring from on high, be near; Daystar, in my heart appear.” The second stanza of the hymn describes the “darkness” of the soul without Christ: “Dark and cheerless is the morn, Unaccompanied by Thee.” This text resonates with Sunday’s Psalm 112: “Light rises in the darkness for the upright.” The third stanza is a petition to God to bring light to the individual believer, the light of Christ that can then be reflected outwardly, “shining to the perfect day.”

The composer, T. Frederick Candlyn, (1892-1964) was a much respected English organist, composer and music director. He became a United States citizen in 1918, and was a professor and Chair of the Music Department at the New York State College for Teachers (now known as SUNY-Albany) before his appointment as Organist/Choirmaster at St. Thomas Church, New York City, in 1943. Candlyn wrote over 200 compositions, and his anthem, Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies, remains a classic and is part of the standard repertoire of many church choirs.

Here is a link to Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies, as sung by the Choir of the Church of Bethesda By The Sea, Palm Beach, Florida. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xisRi_dHg20

During the Communion Meditation at the 11:30 Mass, the Choir will sing Gabriel Faure’s exquisite setting of the Cantique de Jean Racine (which was not presented due to snow on January 25th).

Fauré composed the Cantique de Jean Racine in 1865, using as its text the 17th-century French paraphrase by poet Jean Racine of the Latin hymn Consors paterni luminis, a prayer for divine light and guidance. The beginning text calls to mind the theme of light in this week’s readings: “Word of the Highest, our only hope, Eternal day (or light) of earth and the heavens.” The text “Pour on us the fire of your powerful grace,” echoes the idea of mission mentioned in the works of mercy in Isaiah, as well as the impetus to act as salt and light in the world. The petition in the third stanza echoes the mission to go forth to the world with Christ’s light: “Receive their hymns offered to your immortal glory;
May they go forth filled with your gifts.”

Here is a link to a performance of the Cantique de Jean Racine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVMoWTwc75I

Verbe égal au Très-Haut, notre unique espérance, Jour éternel de la terre et des cieux,
De la paisible nuit nous rompons le silence : Divin Sauveur, jette sur nous les yeux.

Répands sur nous le feu de Ta grâce puissante ; Que tout l’enfer fuie au son de Ta voix ;
Dissipe le sommeil d’une âme languissante
Qui la conduit à l’oubli de Tes lois !

Ô Christ ! sois favorable à ce peuple fidèle, Pour Te bénir maintenant rassemblé ;
Reçois les chants qu’il offre à Ta gloire immortelle, Et de Tes dons qu’il retourne comblé.

Word of the Highest, our only hope, Eternal day of earth and the heavens,
We break the silence of the peaceful night; Saviour Divine, cast your eyes upon us!

Pour on us the fire of your powerful grace,
That all hell may flee at the sound of your voice; Banish the slumber of a weary soul,
That brings forgetfulness of your laws!

O Christ, look with favor upon your faithful people Now gathered here to praise you;
Receive their hymns offered to your immortal glory; May they go forth filled with your gifts.

Sunday’s Final Hymn Go To The World (Worship No. 532) highlights the themes of justice, mission, and that of making faith visible. The hymn highlights the mission to show and reflect God’s light, love and justice to the world. It serves as an encouragement to bring faith and the light of Christ to all.

Go to the world! Go into all the earth.
Go preach the cross where Christ renews life’s worth, baptising as the sign of our rebirth. Alleluia. Alleluia.
Go to the world! Go into ev’ry place.
Go live the Word of God’s redeeming grace.
Go seek God’s presence in each time and space. Alleluia. Alleluia.
Go to the world! Go struggle, bless and pray; the nights of tears give way to joyous day,
As servant Church, you follow Christ’s own way. Alleluia. Alleluia.
Go to the world! Go as the ones I send, for I am with you ’til the age shall end,
When all the hosts of glory cry ‘Amen!’ Alleluia. Alleluia.

This hymn text was written by Canadian Sylvia Dunstan. After a brief, arduous battle with liver cancer, she died in 1993 at the age of only 38. Alan Barthel, a professor of church music,
commissioned the text for the Emmanuel College Convocation in 1985. Dunstan was then working on her Master’s degree in Theology, and the hymn immediately became a staple for services and ordinations across Canada. Dunstan was known for her “powerful and felicitous lyrics” and this hymn remains one of her most recognized contributions to modern hymnody. The hymn is now included in many hymnals.

Here is a Link to “Go To The World:” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDXtb6omS3Q