Homily – 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, 8th Feb., 2026
Theme: You Are the Light, Even Now
A man once told me that he rarely slept through the night. Almost every 
morning, around three o’clock, he would wake suddenly. The house was 
silent. Thoughts gathered quickly. Worries resurfaced. Memories returned. 
In that stillness, he found himself asking a simple but heavy question: 
“Father, does my life still make any difference?”
That question opens today’s Gospel.
Jesus looks at ordinary people and says, “You are the light of the world.”
He speaks to them as they are, where they are. He is not talking about special 
moments or heroic achievements. He is speaking about a way of living that 
already carries God’s presence.
The Prophet Isaiah, in the first reading, helps us see what that light looks 
like. It appears in simple actions: sharing bread, welcoming the lonely, 
caring for those in need. When faith is lived like this, Isaiah says, light rises 
in the darkness. It does not arrive all at once. It grows quietly.
St Paul speaks in the same spirit. He reminds the Corinthians that faith does 
not rest on impressive words or personal strength. It rests on God. What 
matters most is not how capable we feel, but whether we allow God to work 
through us.
Many people here know the early hours of the morning. At three o’clock, 
doubts feel stronger and silence feels deeper. We think about family, health, 
unfinished conversations, and the years behind us. At times, it can seem as 
though our usefulness has faded.
Jesus speaks gently into that moment. Your life still gives light. Prayer 
whispered in the night, patience carried through long days, kindness shown 
without being seen, these things shine. Light does not need attention to be 
real.
As Teresa of Calcutta once said, “We are called to do small things with 
great love.” That love still matters.
As we come to this Eucharist, let us trust that even now, in quieter days and 
restless nights, God is using our faith to bring light into the world. You are 
the light, even now.
Fr. Charles Ijeoma Egbon