You are the salt of the earth – Mt 5:13-16

“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

St. Matthew, in today's Gospel, speaks of the role that Jesus' disciples should play in the world. Jesus uses two symbols: salt and light.

"You are the salt of the earth." Salt symbolizes purity. The ancient Romans said it was the purest because it comes from the sea and the sun. Salt adds flavor. Without salt, the dish has no taste, it is bland and useless. It does not take much salt to make a dinner tasty; yet without this small amount it loses its flavor. Salt is also a preservative to prevent spoilage.

Jesus' true disciples are the salt of the earth. There are few of them, yet they have a tremendous impact. The "little flock," as Jesus calls them, permeates the whole world. However, salt can lose its flavor. If Jesus' disciples lose their love for their Master, if they are disciples only in the “Parish register” and not in the heart, their impact on the world will be minimal.

One of the sins of Jesus' modern disciples is the sin of a peaceful life. We succumb to comfort, compromise, false contentment, or illusory peace. It is a Christian life without salt, without taste. It doesn't say anything. Doesn't bother anyone. It is timid, reassuring rather than provocative. Based on human calculations and arrangements. Meanwhile, a Christian cannot be "harmless." Faith should be a virus that infects, not a vaccine that immunizes, neutralizes (A. Pronzato).

"You are the light of the world." The disciples of Jesus become light in the world when they first draw from the source of light. There are no two sources of light - Jesus on the one hand and the disciples on the other. There is only one Light of the World and a true source of light, Jesus. But Jesus wants to "shine through his disciples" who continue their work in history. Hence our task is to become so pure and transparent that Jesus can "shine through us."

In Eastern wisdom we can read: "When a lotus flower blooms, bees voluntarily come together from all sides to collect honey." The point is only for the lotus to bloom. It should be the same in our lives. If we allowed our life to blossom with the gifts of Jesus - good, kindness, love, wisdom, peace, hope, joy - then we will have to do nothing more. Others themselves, like bees, will come to draw from us.

Until Tomorrow

fr. george