Dominican Friars
Province of St. Albert the Great, USA

Know Before You Go

The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time | True holiness lies not in ritual, but in compassionate action

Know Before You Go

Know Before You Go for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time  by Fr Scott Steinkerchner, O.P.

Father Scott begins by highlighting St. Paul's message in 1 Corinthians: "I resolved to know nothing... except Jesus Christ and him crucified." Paul emphasizes that faith rests on God's spiritual power, not human wisdom or rhetoric. This sets the stage for a deep dive into Isaiah 58, where the prophet warns against mere ritualistic fasting while ignoring the truly hungry and oppressed. God's demand is clear: share your bread, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, and your "light shall break forth like the dawn."

Connecting these powerful Old Testament words to the New, Father Scott explores Jesus' call in Matthew 5 to be the "Salt of the Earth" and the "Light of the World." He reminds us that these teachings are the very criteria for judgment found in Matthew 25 – separating the sheep from the goats. We are challenged: if we lose our savor or hide our light, what good are we?

This reflection powerfully argues that we don't need worldly power; rather, we need to use what little power we have to uplift the less fortunate. In doing so, God's power will work through us, bringing healing and light. It's a call to proactive compassion, trusting that when we care for those in need, God will take care of the rest.

---

### ⏰ Timeline

  0:00:00 Welcome & Introduction to the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
  0:00:26 Second Reading (1 Corinthians): Paul's Focus on Christ Crucified
  0:00:41 Paul's Weakness, Fear, and Reliance on God's Spiritual Power
  0:01:11 God's Power vs. Worldly Wisdom
  0:01:38 First Reading (Isaiah 58): Context of Isaiah's Prophecy
  0:02:32 Prophet's Warning: True Holiness Beyond Ritualistic Fasting
  0:03:06 God's Demands: Share, Shelter, Clothe the Needy
  0:03:25 The Promise: Light, Healing, and Flourishing through Compassion
  0:03:50 God's Clear Words: Care for the Afflicted
  0:04:19 We Can't Save Ourselves, But We Can Care for the Suffering
  0:04:36 If We Care, God Will Take Care of Us
  0:04:50 Gospel Reading (Matthew 5): Connection to Isaiah & Matthew 25
  0:05:30 Jesus' Call: "You Are the Salt of the Earth"
  0:05:42 Jesus' Call: "You Are the Light of the World"
  0:06:04 The Work of the Lord: Helping Those with Less Power
  0:06:21 God's Power Works Through Our Compassion
  0:06:30 Don't Fight for the Dawn, Fight to Protect the Needy
  0:06:42 Conclusion: Are We Doing the Work of God?

---

### 🔖 Hashtags

#KnowBeforeYouGo #CatholicReflection #SundayReadings #5thSundayOrdinaryTime #Isaiah58 #Matthew5 #Matthew25 #1Corinthians #SaltOfTheEarth #LightOfTheWorld #SocialJustice #CaringForThePoor #ChristianDiscipleship #FaithInAction #GodsPower #TrueHoliness #FrScottSteinkerchner #DominicanOrder #OakParkIllinois #SermonOnTheMount #GospelMessage #Homily #BiblicalWisdom #SpiritualGrowth #CatholicFaith #Compassion

Dominican recording video

Know Before You Go is a ministry of the provincial office to help people prepare to hear the readings and preaching of the approaching Sunday's Mass. We welcome any feedback you have at know@opcentral.org . You can see them all below, or you can see other preaching by a particular person by clicking on his name.

Sign up

You can receive an email each morning with the daily Word of Hope and Know Before You Go once a week:

* indicates required

Email Format

  •

    The Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Fr. James Marchionda, OP breaks open the parable of the Wedding Feast in the Gospel of Matthew and its parallel in Isaiah, pointing out that God is preparing a banquet in heaven and all are invited, but those who want to go are challenged to respond properly to the invitation.
  •

    The Twenty Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time

    Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP breaks open the readings for the Twenty Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time, in which Jesus reworks Isaiah's parable of the vineyard, making the point that anyone is welcome in the vineyard of the Lord as long as they produce its harvest of justice.
  •

    The Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Fr. Brendan Curran, OP breaks open the readings for the Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, with Jesus' parable about the vineyard owner who hires people all through the day, but ends up paying them all the same—a full day's wage. In the end, God is equally grateful to everyone who Join in the mission of saving the world, no matter how long they have been doing it.
  •

    The Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Fr. James Marchionda, OP breaks open the readings for the Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, explaining that to pick up our cross and follow Jesus means more than "suffering, for the sake of the Gospel," but to have the wisdom to know God's particular call for us and to have the courage to act on it.
  •

    The Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Br. Joe Trout, OP breaks open the readings for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, in which Jesus tells us he is only here for the Children of Israel and Paul tells us he is here for the Gentiles. WHo are we here to serve?
  •

    The Feast of the Transfiguration

    Jesus was Transfigured on the mountain in order to strengthen Peter, James, and John for the his death and the task that lied ahead of them. Fr. Charles Bouchard, OP breaks open the readings for the Feast of the Transfiguration to say that this vision should strengthen us all to face our own death and the death of those we love with realistic hope and faith.
  •

    The Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Fr. Brendan Curran, OP breaks open the readings for the Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, where Jesus uses a series of agricultural parables to teach how how to grow into true holiness, helping others to grow into it as well.
  •

    The Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

    Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP unpacks the readings for the Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, with its classic reading, "Come to me all who labor and are burdened, and I shall give you rest." Fr. Scott interprets this using the first reading from the prophet Zechariah, who speaks of a humble saviour, who does not come on a war horse, but on the foal of a donkey, and banishes all of the instruments of war. Embracing this saviour brings peace.
  •

    The Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Br. Joe Trout, OP breaks open the readings for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time with a surprising insight into prayer—that God ultimately hears our prayers and vindicates us, but often not right away,. Thus, serving God can be painful and entail suffering, but it is still the path to eternal life and joy, so brace yourself for it if you want to walk this path.
  •

    The Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Breaking open the readings for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. James Marchionda, OP advises us to remember what God has done for you, specifically, and to and use that as a gauge for what to do for others. What God has forgiven you, you should forgive others. As God has blessed you without cost, you should bless others without cost.
  •

    Corpus Christi

    Fr. Donald Goergen, OP breaks open the readings for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ, explaining how the Holy Spirit transforms the bread and wine on the altar into the body and blood of Christ, in order to transform us, as we receive it, so that we can leave Mass being more Christ-like than when we came.
  •

    The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

    Fr. Brendan Curran, OP breaks open the readings for this Solemnity, showing how the readings don't explain the Trinity so much as they point to a way to live out our faith in a God who is One in Three, Three in One, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  •

    Pentecost Sunday

    Fr. Brian Walker, OP recalls the great events of Pentecost, when the Spirit united believers from different lands and of different languages so that they could come together and understand each other. Yet in the church today, we see many divisions, Catholics against Protestants against Orthodox, liberals against conservatives. We need to reopen our hearts to the Spirit that can unite.
  •

    The Ascension of the Lord

    Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP unpacks the readings for the celebration of the Ascension of the Lord, explaining why it was necessary for Jesus to leave in his physical form so that he could return in an even better way through the Church, the new body of Christ.
  •

    The Sixth Sunday of Easter

    Fr. Donald Goergen, OP breaks open the readings for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, which let us know that the reason for our hope is the gift of the Holy Spirit that lives within. Since this Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, let us not despair that we can live the truth, and rededicate ourselves to be people of truth.
  •

    The Fifth Sunday of Easter

    Fr. James Marchionda, OP breaks open the readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, which are both reassuring and challenging. Jesus reassures us that he is going ahead of us to prepare a place for us in heaven, but then he challenges us that we could do even greater works than his own. Will we?
  •

    The Fourth Sunday of Easter

    Br. Joe Trout, OP breaks open the readings for Good Shepherd Sunday, explaining how God protects us and frees us from sin so that we can join in the salvific work of God and have life more abundantly. Also, we enter into this state through Jesus, who is the gate, though the Sacraments.
Subscribe to Know Before You Go