We hear a well-known, short Gospel message this morning, with two vivid images of what we are to be as disciples of Christ. We are to be the salt of the earth, to season the earth with our presence as Christ’s disciples. We are also to be a light shining in the midst of the darkness, turmoil, and instability of our world. When I read today’s Gospel, I wondered: What would these images mean to the people of Jesus’ day?
In the ancient world, salt was a highly valued commodity. The Romans had a saying: "There is nothing more useful than sun and salt." In Jesus’ day, people connected salt with purity because it came from what they considered the purest of things, from the sun and from the sea. They believed it was salt that kept the seas pure. Salt was also one of the most basic offerings the people offered up to the gods, as Jewish sacrifices were offered with salt. So when Jesus calls us to be the salt of the earth, he calls us to be an example of purity, to exercise that purity in all aspects of life: in our speech, our conduct, and our thoughts. In our modern world, we have refrigeration and many different methods to preserve foods, but in the ancient world, salt would have been the most common way to preserve food. As the salt of the earth, Christians can have an influence on life and on society in the way salt serves to preserve food, in defeating corruption and bad influences, in making it easier for others to turn to what is good. St Pope John Paul II challenged the youth on World Youth Day in 2002: “As the salt of the earth, you are called to preserve the faith that you receive and to pass that faith on to others. Your generation is being challenged in a special way to keep safe the deposit of faith.” John Paul II connects this to our baptism, by stating: “The salt which keeps our Christian identity intact even in a very secularized world is the grace of baptism.” As the salt of the earth, we are called to truly care about the world, to care about its well-being: to bring the joy of Christ to others, to open up the world to Christ’s message, to bring our Christian values and moral principles to our world, making a contribution to the development of our culture and society.
Just a sprinkling of salt transforms a piece of meat. Likewise, a pinch of salt from our souls can add flavor to the lives of hundreds, or even thousands. Just as salt adds flavor to food, so the life of a Christian adds flavor to the lives of others by showing them the light of God. I love this quote by Canadian philosopher, theologian, and educator Jean Vanier: “We are not called by God to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things with extraordinary love.” Yes, being light and salt in our world is truly possible, truly attainable in those little ordinary things we do in life.
It is worth reflecting upon how our other readings call us to be light and salt. Isaiah calls us to “share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and (do) not turn your back on your own….Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday” Rev James Stewart, a renowned preacher from the Church of Scotland, states this: “The greatest threat to Christianity is not communism, atheism, materialism, or humanism. It is Christians trying to sneak into heaven incognito without ever sharing their faith, without ever living out the Christian life as salt of the earth and light of the world.” Let us be salt. Let us be light.
These are great readings today to hear as we have Bishop Kopacz introduce the Catholic Service Appeal this year. We will listen to an audio message from him.
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