5th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Fr. Francis)
Scripture lessons: In our first reading, the Lord God through His prophet Isaiah gives us examples of how we are to allow the light of God to shine through us. “Share your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own. Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday” (58:7, 10). St. Paul, in the second reading, tells us that our proclamation of Faith will carry the Spirit and His power when we rely on the power and wisdom of God. Using two simple metaphors of salt and light in today’s Gospel, Jesus outlines the role of Christians in this world. As a symbol of purity, salt was the common ingredient in sacrifices offered to God by Jews and pagans. In the ancient world, salt was the commonest of all preservatives, used to prevent the putrefaction of meat, fish and fruits in pickles. Salt lends flavor to food items and was used to season and preserve food. A light is something which is meant to be seen. A lamp or light is a guide to make clear the way. A light serves also as a warning (e.g., red traffic lights which tell us to halt when there is danger ahead). Finally, light, particularly the sun’s, gives warmth and heat.
You are the Salt of the earth: Let me share with you a short story that might help us understand what Christ was trying to teach us. An ancient king once asked his three daughters how much they loved him. The eldest daughter said she loved him more than all the gold in the world. The middle daughter said she loved him more than all the silver in the world. And the youngest daughter said she loved him more than salt. The king was not pleased with the final answer. However, the wise cook overheard the conversation, and the next day he prepared a wonderful meal for the king, but left out the salt. The food was so insipid, so tasteless, that the king couldn’t eat it. It was then that the King understood what his youngest daughter meant. He now understood the value of salt. when Christ said to his followers – “You are the salt of the earth,” it simply meant that a follower of Christ must lend flavor to life, bringing joy & gladness, happiness & peace, justice & love, care & concern, hope & consolation, among those in their lives. A follower of Christ, a Christian, also has to be an example of purity, in speech, in conduct, and even in thought, living a life of honesty, diligence & conscientiousness
You are the light of the world: Jesus speaks of our visibility in the world. Let me share with you another short story that may help us better understand Christ’s words. The story is told of a little girl who was shivering her way along a main street in one of our great cities. Seeing the beautiful lights of a church building and hearing the music coming from within, she went in and warmed herself as she listened. In the Priest’s homily, he focused on and stated, “I am the light of the world.” At the close of the Mass, the little girl went to the Priest and said, “Did you say you are the light of the world, sir?” The Priest replied, “No, dear child. Christ is the light of the world; I am only one of the smaller lights.” The little girl looked at him for a moment, paused, and then solemnly said, “Well, sir, I wish you would come down and hang out in our alley, because it’s awful dark down there!” Christians are indeed, as Christ said, “The light of the world.” And as one of those lights, let us ask ourselves: Do we ever purposely go to any dark places, to shine our light? Or do only “Hang out” with other lights? Or do we hide our Light?
As Christians we have signed up to be specialists. We have signed up to be Christians. What this means is that if we go off and do anything else, we are nothing, and good for nothing. Jesus says, if you have decided to be my disciple you are either going to do that or be nothing. You may go on to be a doctor, lawyer, teacher, laborer, or social worker. But the Lord has got plenty of those, (and so does the devil). Your first and only mission is to be a true and uncompromised Christian and everything else is commentary. You may be a great doctor, but if you don’t do it as a clear and visible Christian you are nothing. You may be a skilled social worker, but if you don’t do it as a Christian, you are good for nothing. Any non-believer can be socially useful as a doctor, sports hero, actor, lawyer, or social worker. But only a Christian can be a Christian. Only a Christian can give other Christ. As St Theresa of Calcutta says ‘I give Christ to them’ (whom I serve). No one can take our place. If we don’t shine by living our faith and proclaiming it, the world is in darkness. Buddha can’t help, Mohamed can’t pull it off, science and humanism can’t substitute.
Pope Francis asks each one us not to be “Christian Parrots” who talk a lot about their religion but do no good deeds. If I say I am catholic and go to Mass, but then don’t speak with my parents, help my grandparents or the poor, go and see those who are sick, this does not prove my faith the Pope said.
Salt and light: The story of EWTN is the story of a brave woman who had the courage of her conviction that she should be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Mother Angelica (who died in 2016), started broadcasting Catholic TV for just a few hours a day in 1981 from the garage of her Poor Clare Monastery in the US. The project grew and grew, and now, after thirty-five years, the Eternal Word Television Network is available twenty-four hours a day all over the world by cable and satellite. Mother Angelica is an example of a true Christian living out her Faith as salt to preserve Christian values and to provide the modern world with a purifying mass medium. She kept putting her lamp on the lamp-stand so that Christ’s Light would shine for everyone in the modern global village.
May the good Lord give us wisdom and courage to be the salt of the earth and light of the world. Amen.
God bless.
Fr. A. Francis HGN