HOMILY OF TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST — YEAR A
HOMILY OF TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST — YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: SALT & LIGHT
BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
2 Cor 1:18-22; Psalm 119:119-135; Matt 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.”
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After His teaching on the Beatitudes, Jesus presents two metaphors as challenge to His disciples and listeners: “You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world.”
Salt is an essential ingredient in almost all food, particularly to provide taste and to preserve its freshness. In order to be effective, salt has to maintain its taste. Christians, imbued by the teachings and values of the Kingdom, are the ‘salt of the earth’. The moment they fail to live accordingly, they are like salt without taste: useless. They are of no value and impact on society: “no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”
What is quite remarkable with the image of salt is its soluble quality. It has to dissolve in order to fulfill its functions efficiently. No matter how tasty the salt is, if it is just lying out there away from food, it is useless. It has to be put into the food and dissolve. It blends completely and disappears from view. It is not meant to be seen, but the taste of the food reveals its presence.
Such is what every Christian should be. He is in the world, and he is supposed to blend in with it, giving taste and preventing corruption. He cannot withdraw and remain separated from it. This is the mission of the laity. The Second Vatican Council spells it out: “Since they have an active role to play in the whole life of the Church, laymen are not only bound to penetrate the world with a Christian spirit, but are also called to be witnesses to Christ in all things in the midst of human society” (GS, no. 43).
Sadly, though, many Christians are remiss in this regard. The Church is conspicuously absent in the various fields of human activity: business, industries, media, entertainment, politics. There is no ‘salt’ there. As a result, there is endemic and pervasive corruption in society, and life becomes dreary and weary.
Take, for example, in business. If there is the tangible dominant presence of good Christians in this field, there would be less selfishness, corruption and exploitation. It would be a delightful situation of the ‘You’ taking precedence over the ‘I’. This is just being faithful to the word “BUSINESS”: the ‘U’ comes before the ‘I’, the ‘I’ is silent; and the ‘U’ is pronounced as the ‘I’. The interests of the ‘You’ are given priority, for such will also redound to the welfare of the ‘I’.
The second metaphor is, “You are the light of the world.” A good Christian cannot remain in hiding. He is like a city set on a hill, or a lighted lamp. Otherwise, he is also useless. Every Christian is called to shine, not like the sun, but like the moon. The sun produces light, the moon only reflects it. God produces light and Christians are expected to reflect the light of God. And the best way to reflect God’s light is by living the commandment of love: “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35). The world is in darkness mainly due to man’s selfishness, greed and materialism. The only thing that will drive away this darkness is the power love – it moves people to selfless generosity, to share and care, and to get out of one’s comfort zones in order to reach out to others.
In one of his addresses to the youth, Pope St. John Paul II: “Dear young people, let yourselves be taken over by the light of Christ, and spread that light wherever you are.” And there is only one motivation behind all these: “Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”
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