Jesus continues from the beatitudes of last week with this brief illustration for the disciples. Jesus tells them they are the salt of the earth, and that salt that loses it’s taste is useless for seasoning food just as the disciples are of no use if they fail to live as He teaches. Jesus tells the disciples they are the light of the world and that light should not be hidden, but should shine before others so that they may see the good deeds they do and glorify God. The disciples are personally called to bring the light of salvation to others. Just as a lamp lit in a one room house of their time would give light not only to the individual disciple but to all who are around. Just as a city on a hill cannot hide it’s light, the disciples must not hide their own.
What does this have to do with you, and me? We are given the same light at our baptism that we are expected to share with others. We have the “flavor” of Jesus within us, and it is up to us to spread that to others.
Our first reading tells us how do we do that! This reading is from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah and it instructs us on how to serve others, to care for others, to not forget our brothers and sisters, our own people. Every time that you feed the hungry, clothe and shelter the needy you are casting your light upon them, the light of Christ. When people see the good that we do they give glory to God! We must live our lives as Christ Jesus instructs so that His light and His glory are not hidden from others!
A friend tells a story of how she grew up a Catholic and around the age of 20-ish she abandoned her faith because she felt she did not need it to live her life and be happy. She details a life of many blessings, and many successes and much happiness. BUT for many years she recognized a gaping emptiness in her life. “Something was missing…” she says, “We had happiness and success…a nice home, plenty of income…but something was missing and I felt incomplete, empty.” She figured out that what she was really missing was God in her life. She returned to the Church…has been a regular mass participant for years…but she did not force her husband, who had never been baptized or knew God in any intimate way, to do likewise.
After a couple years, having found a completeness that she had been missing for years and feeling truly and completely happy, this friend says her husband began to notice a change in her. A change that he found very compelling and was very much desiring this…something…that he saw she had now. He was baptized…he began to attend church…to read the Bible…to know and to love God!!! This is a perfect example of our light shining on others and giving Glory to God! This is what it means to be the salt of the earth!
In everything you do and say and think and pray - LOVE! Love everyone, especially those you think don’t deserve love…love as God loves, without any “SELF” at all; total self-giving LOVE! If you can do this you cannot help but love God who IS love, that special kind of love that is total self-giving! To love God is to love all that God loves, all that God has created. If you can do this you will be the salt of the earth, and the light that shines before all!
This week’s Psalm is Psalm112: The Just Man is a Light
God bless!
Elaine