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June 7, 2022"Salt of the Earth. Light of the World"
Today’s gospel (Mt 5:13-16) immediately follows the Beatitudes in Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount.
What I find interesting, but not necessarily obvious, about these two
images is that each calls attention to, enhances, and/or reveals something else, not itself.
The thought of eating corn on the cob without both butter and salt holds absolutely no appeal for me. But neither creates the taste of the corn; they enhance and call attention to it. Nor does either appeal to me by itself! Eaten together they make a delicious combination.
Navigating my living space in the dark during a power outage is not
possible. At the least, a candle is needed. But the candle does not create what is in my living space; it reveals, illuminates what is already there. As soon as the light is provided, my attention is drawn to what is in the room.
Living as Jesus has taught us to live, walking in His footsteps, does not ‘create’ life, it enhances life. Our own lives and the lives of those around us are richer, ‘tastier’, when they are marked, characterized by selflessness, generosity, mercy, compassion, and justice. If the tone and content of
current events are any indication, the opposite is equally true when we fail to follow the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
When I think of the light image that Jesus uses, I find it helpful to think of moonlight. We all know that the moon itself generates no light. It reflects the light of the sun. Jesus revealed to us who His and our Father is, and in so doing illuminated the path to the Father through His example and teachings. Jesus is calling us to share in this task of illuminating/reflecting the presence and activity of His and our Father in our world. It is to be ‘light’ in very real and concrete ways.
Who are the people who have ‘illuminated’, reflected God’s love,
generosity, selflessness, compassion, and faithfulness in our lives?
How have they accomplished this? Their words? example? lives?
What does it look like for us to follow in their footsteps?
How often do we ‘brighten up the room’ upon entering it?
