A Catholic Clergy Perspective: FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A): DISCIPLESHIP IS A CONSTANT IN GOD’S EYES! AS SALT WE PURIFY AND PRESERVE ALL THAT IS GOOD AND AS LIGHT WE SET AN EXAMPLE FOR THE WORLD! by Deacon Jim Merle

Friday, February 6, 2026

FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A): DISCIPLESHIP IS A CONSTANT IN GOD’S EYES! AS SALT WE PURIFY AND PRESERVE ALL THAT IS GOOD AND AS LIGHT WE SET AN EXAMPLE FOR THE WORLD! by Deacon Jim Merle

In my 21^st year as a deacon I served 14 as both a board member and chair of the local Diocese of Orange Catholic Campaign of Human Development (CCHD) which recommends to the diocese’s bishops what non-profit organizations are worthy of receiving annual, local, national and strategic grants from $10,000 to $500,000 for their social justice work with the impoverished, marginalized and disenfranchised. During my tenure I witnessed people who were homeless, jobless, pregnant women with no support, immigrants and children with inadequate education to name a few who face social justice issues.

It is a ministry that tugs at one’s heart strings because of the many unjust causes that seem so difficult for which to find solutions; not just monetary, but systemic ones that will end the continuous human misery of whatever the problem. Conversely, it also brings great hope to those in need and to the non-profit organizations that deal daily with what seems like insurmountable odds to correct these dilemmas.

In our readings and Gospel today, we are called as disciples to address the types of issues mentioned above. The Prophet Isaiah writes that God wants us to share food with the hungry, shelter with the oppressed and homeless, clothes with the naked and to not turn our back on our own. Saint Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians writes that they should focus more on the message of God’s wisdom in all Christian areas of taking care of people than about who brings the message.

St. Matthew’s Gospel, which comes right after the reading of the Beatitudes about reaching out to the poor, sorrowful and lowly, to name a few, who lack material goods addresses the problem with calling Jesus’ disciples (including us) to be a beacon of salt and light to those in need. The salt signifies friendship between God and humanity and members of the community purifying and preserving all that is good. The light gives those in need comfort and warmth, enlightens their minds and radiates this light for the benefit of others.

For us, the reality as disciples about these and other unnamed issues is to face them head on. Visit these non-profit organizations to see how we can help, not only with monetary gifts, but with our time and energy. We are called to encounter them in person, if for no other reason, so the people in peril know that someone cares.

If we do not know where to look to help, we can go to our diocesan website at rcbo.org where numerous opportunities are listed under the Life, Justice and Peace office, detention ministry, human trafficking and mental health to name a few. We also can help feed the homeless at St. Angela Merici parish in Brea on Saturday mornings or at Catholic Worker in Santa Ana daily.

God’s call may take us out of our comfort zone. But, I know from personal experience, that being present to those in need, if just for an hour or two, will give one a feeling of great satisfaction that we not only reached out, but we learned how some who are not as fortunate as us cope in difficult situations. It is a real salt and light moment!

Reading 1:     Isaiah 48:7 – 10
Psalm:            112:4 – 9
Reading 2:     1 Corinthians 2:1 – 5
Gospel:          Matthew 5:13 – 16

1 comment:

Deacon Gary GriffinFebruary 7, 2026 at 11:08 AM
Deacon Jim,
Well written and I appreciate the expressed importance of getting involved with the needs of the poor that are right around us and in our communities. This is a good step on the journey of Discipleship. But given the excess abuse of the poor, the stranger, the weak, the vulnerable, the hungry by our civil authorities, I think it is time to move further as Disciple of Christ. A significant component of the salt and light of Christ that we bring to our Nation and the world is our public defense of the poor, weak, and vulnerable. This is where we will experience the real cost of Discipleship that Christ has called us to. We trust that Christ will strengthen us to persevere in this journey.
We all should be familiar with Pope Leo XIV thoughts on this by reference to his recent Apostolic Exhortation on Love of the Poor and his speech to the Diplomates and Ambassadors referencing St. Agustine on the importance of applying our ethics grounded in Scripture to influencing Civil Authorities.
But we can go back to all the Popes since Leo XIII and see their emphasis on speaking out against social injustice. Pope Pius XI, in Quadragesimo Anno (1931) writes that the Church has the right and duty to speak publicly when human dignity is threatened. The Encyclicals that we are more familiar with from St. John Paul II to Pope Frances speak no differently, and make it clear that we, followers of Jesus Christ, must speak to the injustices and assault on human dignity that we see all around us.
To speak out and call others to speak out is what a Disciple of Jesus Christ is called to. This is what a Deacon is called to. We must reject all that is contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Why is there so much silence? Where is the light of Christ, evident in Christians defending the poor, for the nation to see?
In Christ,
Deacon Gary Griffin
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Bishop Kevin W. Vann, JCD, DD, D MIN

He was ordained on May 30, 1981, and was assigned to graduate studies in canon law at the Angelicum in Rome, with residence at the graduate house of the North American College, the Casa Santa Maria dell’ Umilta. Pope Leo XIV, when a priest, also attended these classes at the same time. Upon returning to the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, Father Vann participated in the work of the Diocesan Tribunal and the Tribunal of Second Instance in Chicago. He served as pastor of parishes ranging in size from 35 to 1,300 families, two which had large schools. He taught canon law at Kenrick Seminary. Before he was named bishop, he was pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Springfield, Vicar for Priests and the Diocesan contact for Hispanic Ministry. Bishop Vann was ordained and installed as the third bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Forth Worth, Texas, on July 13, 2005, at Texas Christian University’s Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. In Texas, he collaborated closely with other bishops through the Texas Catholic Conference and Region X, which includes dioceses of States of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. He is the former Texas Bishops’ Liaison to the Texas Mission Council and Texas Catholic hospitals. And, through the U.S. Conference of Bishops, Bishop Vann was a leader in the Texas Conference of Bishops, providing leadership for various initiatives at the national level, including service on ad hoc committee which assisted the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) to guide the incorporation of Anglican groups into the Catholic Church of the United States. On September 21, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI announced Bishop Vann’s appointment as the fourth bishop of Orange, the 11th largest diocese in the country and the second-largest west of the Mississippi with 1.3 million multicultural Catholics. He continues to lead the historic effort to transform the former Crystal Cathedral from a world-renowned center of Protestant worship into the West Coast’s most visible center of Catholicism.

Father Glenn Baaten

A priest of the ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, a community with the Catholic Church made up of former Anglicans and Episcopalians. He Currently serves as Parish Administrator of St. John Henry Newman Catholic Church in Irvine and as Chaplain of Santiago Retreat Center in Silverado. His ministry within the Diocese of Orange, California, is a collaborative appointment by Bishop Steven Lopes and Bishop Kevin Vann. Fr. Glenn was ordained to the Catholic priesthood on June 24, 2016, the Feast of St. John the Baptist. His journey to the Catholic Church followed years of faithful ministry in Protestant communities. He was ordained a Presbyterian pastor in 1998 and served a PCUSA parish in Cincinnati, Ohio. After returning to California in 2010, he discerned a call to Anglican ministry and was ordained in the Church of England tradition in 2013. He relinquished his Anglican holy orders and, after catechesis, was received into the Church on Christmas eve of that year. Fr. Glenn has been married to Cathy for 42 years. They are the blessed parents of two adult children and grandparents of three. His ministry is marked by a strong commitment to evangelization, Christian unity and sacred beauty of the liturgy. As a follower of Christ these many past decades – most especially as a priest – Fr. Glenn is committed to sharing the grace and love of Jesus to all and living the depth of that faith in the fulness of the Catholic Church.

Deacon Jim Merle

Deacon Jim was ordained 20 years ago on April 30, 2005, and lives in Southern California where he has served the Catholic Church on parish, diocesan and national levels. He periodically writes Pastoral Letters for church bulletins, as well as articles for the Diaconate community’s “Bowl & Towel” and the diocesan newspaper in addition to “A Catholic Deacon’s Perspective,” recently renamed “A Catholic Clergy’s Perspective” with the addition of Bishop Kevin W. Vann and Fr. Glenn Baaten as periodic writers. On the parish level he has served at three parishes involved in helping with Sacramental training, Faith Formation and annulments. His diocesan involvements include a six-year term on the Diaconate Personnel Board, a founding committee member of the God’s Servants Committee (an educational component of quarterly meetings for active deacons), as a Master of Ceremonies at Confirmations, ordinations, installations and other ceremonies, an Advanced Master Catechist Certification to teach theological and certification classes and recently was selected to head up a Deanery Council of Deacons and their wives to support their ordination faculties and activities in each of the seven deaneries. On a local and national level, he coordinated the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) diocesan board for 14 years. CCHD is the domestic social justice arm of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) which distribute parishioner’s donations for non-profit organizations to empower the impoverished, marginalized and disenfranchised who have social justice needs. In his early career he was a writer/reporter for a well-known Chicago newspaper, as well as owning a public relations/advertising firm. He is now semi-retired and works parttime in two professional practices he owns. On a personal note, he is married 57 years, helped rear four children with his wife, a grandfather to 10 grandchildren and a great grandfather to six great grandchildren.

BLOG INTRODUCTION

Scripture is like the eyes into God’s soul. Whether from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) or the New Testament, we can garner, as best we can, who God is (what He feels and how He thinks in human terms). The original and current purpose of this blog, which began in 2019, is to take a three-year cycle of A, B and C Gospels and readings from each Sunday and provide a perspective as it pertains to our current lives as seen through the eyes of a Catholic clergy who serve Catholics in words and deeds per their ordination. Since completing the three-year cycles, it has been expanded to investigate the areas of Commentaries, Scripture and Theology. It is because of that the blog will now have writings from Bishop Kevin Vann, Ordinary of the Diocese of Orange, California, Father Glenn Baaten, a former Anglican priest, ordained into the Roman Catholic Church as a priest, and Deacon Jim Merle, who recently celebrated his 20th year ordination and started this blog. Bishop Vann and Father Glenn will author articles on a periodic basis based upon the time they have to devote to the blog. Deacon Jim will continue to offer weekly articles, still based on the three-year cycle along with various current events that challenge us to balance our humanity with our spiritual lives. The hope is that you, our subscribers, will see this as something of value to help you grow closer to the Lord.