Collecting things of all kinds is somewhat of a popular activity to do. We collect stamps, bottles of all kinds, bells, rare books, art, coins, and many other articles. A group of collectors was holding an exhibit in a Catholic Church hall. The altar Society ran a snack bar selling hot coffee and hamburgers.
One visitor purchased a cup of coffee and a hamburger. As he was walking around looking at the items on display while eating his burger he went past a display of salt and pepper shakers. (a couple hundred of them) He discovered that his hamburger needed some salt. He set his coffee down and reached for one of the salt shakers and found no salt. He tried at least a dozen of them and guess what-No Salt! Finally he went back to the snack bar and got some salt. A couple hundred salt shakers but no salt. That says a lot about life itself. Just because we come to Sunday mass does not make us the salt of the earth and the light of the world, does it? Even though this is so vital in giving us the strength to be the salt o the earth and light of the world, what happens when we exit through the front doors of this church? Do we take with us what has been given to us by Jesus himself? I speak of Jesus in the faith community, in the words of scripture, the music, and most important the body and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist?
If we do, then we have what we need to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. We have been fed and now have strength to carry on what Jesus expects of each of us. You are the salt of the earth and light of the world. This is what we hear in our gospel from Matthew today. Just as a spoonful or a pinch of salt infuses in a kettle of soup, so every Christian, we, must spread our life of faith in Jesus to all that we come in contact with every day.
How many people do we meet whose lives seem dull, tasteless, meaningless? I see this in a couple of my siblings. The hamburger of their life, the soup of their everyday existence is spent on hard work just to attain things, attaining the world’s goods instead of what Jesus is offering us. But what we say and do, and the way we say it and do it, can be salt for those who find life tasteless.
Salt has many uses chemically, commercially, as well as for preserving and seasoning food. For example, salt is used as an antiseptic and I have seen salt used to reduce swelling from a bee sting, and to stop a sore throat.
The symbolism is clear. The evils of this world can be cured or at least lessened by the application of the salt of faith, US! We heard in our 1st reading Isaiah say, “Share your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and homeless, clothing the naked when you see them and not turning your back on your own.”
Take a good look at the windows in this church. What do you see in the stained glass? The sacraments and The Corporal Works of Mercy. Last Sunday we heard about the Eight Beatitudes which gives us the way of life. Through the sacraments we gain strength through God’s grace to live this style of life being the salt of the earth and by the Corporal works of Mercy enabling us to be the light of the world.
In all the sacrifices of the Old Testament salt played a part. An agreement of salt meant an agreement of friendship. In fact, in many languages, salt is a symbol of friendship. The salt of our faith makes us friendly, even with the unfriendly and the un-friendless. Christ wants us to be that kind of salt.
Of course, being the salt of the earth brings light to the darkness of this world. I can’t help but think of St. Theresa of Calcutta. What a light that shined through the world because of her ministry to the least in India-the poor, the neglected of society, the sick, the diseased, the dying. She was salt to those in need and brought light not only to those she served but to the whole world. I believe many throughout the world have heard of Mother Theresa of Calcutta and have been touched by her ministry of love.
I mentioned the Mass earlier and that food which offers us true life in Christ which gives us the endurance to be the salt of the earth and light of the world. This is our charge. This is our responsibility as Catholic Christians. After the blessing at the end of mass, what do you hear? You hear the final charge, “Go in peace glorifying the Lord by your life.”
This charge is being the salt of kindness, of patience, of mercy, of forgiveness, of charity, of love to all and from that being the light of anticipation, of hope in this darkened world and in the lives of those who are lost and forgotten.
I love how these passages today tie in with the gospel of last week. Do you remember what that was about? I gave you a clue earlier. “The Beatitudes”.
Our commitment to social justice flows from the instructions of Jesus. And as last week’s gospel gives us the way to live our life, today’s gospel gives us the way to social justice through the spiritual and corporal works of mercy that seem to come out at us from the passages today and as we allow these readings to enter into our hearts, the transformation we find in ourselves brings us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, especially in light of the immigration policies set forth and what is happening to our Muslim brothers and sisters.
When we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, console those who mourn, and so on, we become the salt of the earth giving life on this planet meaning, and from that becoming light that dispels the darkness. When we do these things with the community of faith, the church, we are indeed acting as “a city set on a mountain top” that cannot be hidden!