Salt of the earth. Light of the world. How can we nourish these essential components of discipleship?
A book titled The Power of Meaning describes ingredients to strengthen our salt and light and result in a meaningful life.
First, a sense of belonging: family, friends or colleagues with whom we can be our true selves.
The second ingredient is purpose: to motivate and energize us to do something for others.
The final ingredient is transcendence: to live for something greater than ourselves, e.g., family, a profession, a cause.
I would note one more ingredient within every human being: a quest for what is ultimately good and true and beautiful. We call that God. To paraphrase St. Augustine: our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee, O God. Yes, our ultimate purpose is to abide in God and God abiding in us forever.
The word of God today first takes us back to the sixth century before Jesus, to a third collection of writings in the Book of the prophet Isaiah. In this passage, many Jews returned to their homeland only to face harsh realities.
So, they proclaimed a fast to ask for God’s favor. But the author notes such practices are useless if we treat people unfairly or deny them their basic human rights. It’s better to practice works of mercy: feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, care for the sick, be compassionate. If you do this, to reference today’s scripture, your light will break forth like the dawn.
St. Paul tells the Christian community in Corinth that God’s power is at work within him, even though Paul goes about his ministry in “fear and trembling.” We are to look for wisdom not just in people of eloquence, but in the Spirit who empowers us to proclaim the good news: God became one of us in Jesus; He is gloriously alive among us; and one day we will become like God and see God as God is.
In the Gospel, Jesus says we are to be “salt of the earth” and “light to the world.”
Salt can bring out the flavor in food, from filet mignon to popcorn. And salt enables our muscles to contract, our blood to circulate, our hearts to beat. In short, salt enhances, purifies and preserves.
Light can transform a cold night into a warm day. Light enables us to study, to discover, to behold the beauty and the wonders of God’s universe. Light nurtures, sustains, reveals and cheers. Luminosity can enhance a painting, e. g., Rembrandt’s Night Watch.
Yes, Jesus's metaphors indicate our role is to enhance and enlighten. What a gift that can be to others!
We are “salt” when we bring out the best in people. We are “light” when we illuminate the presence of God all around. How? By who we are and what we do with what we have!
These are not gifts to boast about. Everyone has gifts or talents that can empower or “build up” others. Our culture often appears "celebrity"-driven. But celebrities like quarterbacks Pat Mahomes or Jalen Hurts are not the only ones with talent.
All of us have gifts and talents by virtue of the life-giving waters of baptism. We possess the power to believe, to hope and to love.
And within our Catholic Christian life there are many splendid callings. Parent, teacher or student, doctor or lawyer, businessperson -- whoever you are, you have a vocation, right now: to inspire people to be their best, to give your time and talents to others, to have the courage to stand up for what’s true and right and good, to be men and women of integrity, by striving to be true to that inner voice, our conscience, which seeks to do right in all decisions.
What makes us a faithful and effective Christian is the Spirit of God within us. Oh, personality can be a blessing. But the Spirit works through us as we are. The Spirit illumines our minds to know the way we should behave, and strengthens us to do so, despite obstacles.
God's Spirit gives us “love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and discipline.” What more can we want? The Spirit can make us a means of healing, a channel of grace, an instrument of peace. What wonderful gifts and talents for the common good, for the family in which we live, the profession in which we work, the community in which we find ourselves.
Our gifts let us look beyond ourselves to our life with others. No one is an island, to paraphrase the great poet John Donne. The Spirit empowers us, as we are, to help others become more human and more godlike in their relationships.
May each of us realize that the purpose of life is to make a difference for the better by giving our best in service. Then we will realize, with God's grace, that we truly are the salt of God's earth and a light in His kingdom.
