[This is my homily for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A]
Have you ever been served a delicious-looking plate of food and when you took a bite of it, it was the blandest thing you had ever tasted? You perhaps politely looked around the table for a salt shaker. Not finding one, if you knew the host well, you asked for some salt to give the food some flavor.
Salt makes the bland flavorful. Salt makes the insipid tasty. Salt makes the dull interesting.
If you’ve ever lost electric power at your house, you know that as soon as the sun goes down, darkness immediately creeps in. When I was young in Peru the lights would go out often when terrorist blew up power stations, so we had candles and matches ready in every room of the house. A single candle, even if it was weak, would pierce right through the darkness revealing what the darkness hid.
Light makes the unknown seen. Light makes the frightening comforting. Light makes the dangerous safe.
Jesus uses two powerful symbols today, salt and light. He tells his disciples “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.”
Jesus’ words to his disciples are best understood if we realize first that Jesus himself is the salt of the earth and the light of the world and he sends his disciples to spread his message of salvation to all the world. His disciples become the salt of the earth and the light of the world in the measure they preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is Jesus’ presence in them that makes them the salt and the earth of the earth.
Jesus is the salt of the earth because without God, life becomes bland, insipid and dull, just like the salt-less dish. Without God hope is quickly lost. Without God, life becomes monotonous and meaningless. Without God, we become like robots. Jesus is the salt of the earth because he gives meaning to our life and reveals to us who we truly are, precious beings made in the image and likeness of God, and reveals to us our destiny, happiness in eternal life with him. Jesus takes what can become our bland existence and raises it to the divine.
Jesus is the light of the world because without God, life becomes dark, frightening and dangerous like a house without electric power. Jesus gives us direction, he is the light stand to guide our feet throughout our life journey. Jesus is the light that longs to shine in the darkest corners of our heart to heal our wounds and forgive our sins. With him guiding us, there is no need to be afraid because he takes care of all obstacles and dangers.
Jesus is the salt and the light of the world and urges each one of us to join him. In the measure our everyday lives reflect Christ through our witness to the Gospel, we become the salt of the earth and the light of the world. We become sources of hope, joy and healing in our families, communities and work places. We become instruments of God himself and help extend his kingdom on the earth.
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