Christian, being the salt of the earth and the light of the world, changes the life of society

V Ordinary Sunday. Year “A”. England, Driffield,
Our Lady and St. Edward church
Saturday evening Mass, February 8, 2014

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ!

1. The common theme of all today’s three readings is our mission to the world as salt and light.  

In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah gives examples of how we are to allow the light of God to shine through us.  

St. Paul, in the second reading, tells us that our proclamation of faith will carry the Spirit and His power when we rely on the power and wisdom of God.

Using two simple metaphors of salt and light in today’s Gospel, Jesus outlines the role of Christians in this world. As a symbol of purity, salt was used as sacrifice offering to God by Jews and pagans. In the ancient world it was used also to preserve food from corruption. Salt also gives taste to food.

A light is something which is meant to be seen. A light makes clear the way.  A light serves also as a warning, for example, red traffic light tells us about danger lies ahead. Finally, light, particularly the sun, gives warmth and heat.

2. We need to be the salt of the earth.
    
As the salt of the earth, the Christian must be an example of purity in speech, in conduct, and even in thought. The Christian must have a certain antiseptic influence on life and society, defeating corruption, fighting against injustice and making it easier for others to avoid sin.

As salt preserves food, we have to preserve the religious faith, Christian cultural values and moral principles. As salt improves the taste of what we eat, we have to improve the life of our society by giving hope where there is no hope.

3. We need to be the light of the world.

Our role as Christians is to receive the light of Christ and radiate it to people all around us by love, kindness, mercy, forgiveness and humble service. With Christ’s Light, we become a lighthouse, illuminating the way for many and removing the darkness from their life.

4. The history of Christianity presents us with a lot of examples of people who were and still are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

There is a very interesting story about the Catholic community in the city of Marx which is situated in Russia in the Volga river region. We know very well who Karl Marx was. According to his teaching, religion is the opium of the people. But there is another story which can be called a story of people who really were the salt of the earth and the light of the world during the time of persecution of religion in Russia.

The Catholic church in Marx was destroyed. After the collapse of communism the Catholic community received permission to build a new one. When I arrived to bless the corner stone the people asked me to bless a simple red brick. And they told a very interesting and mowing story. After the old church was destroyed they took bricks of the former building of the temple to their houses. They put them in a visible place and prayed in front of them for many decades. Bricks for them were like a symbol of the church. And these bricks helped them to preserve the faith and to transmit it to the new generation. And they wanted to have a visible connection between the old and new churches.

Nowadays we have another story about EWTN television. It’s the story of a brave woman who had the courage be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  She is the well known Mother Angelica who in 1981 started broadcasting Catholic TV for just a few hours a day from the garage of her Monastery in the USA. The project grew and grew, and now the Eternal Word Television Network is available twenty-four hours a day all over the world.  Mother Angelica is an example of a true Christian living out her faith as salt to preserve Christian values and to provide the modern world with a purifying mass media. She keeps putting her lamp on the lamp-stand so that Christ’s Light will shine for everyone in the modern global village.

Here in the parish in Driffield, we have Church Services TV. This operation was founded by people who were also called to service. This Mass, thanks to them, is able to be broadcast across the world.

5. The ancient Romans used to say: “There is nothing more useful than sun and salt”.

As the salt of the earth, the Christian are to be a preserving influence to limit the moral and spiritual spoilage in the world. Being the salt of the earth, we have to keep our Christian identity. Also we are called to preserve the faith which we have received and to transmit it to other people, because our generation is being challenged in a special way to keep safe the deposit of faith.

As the light of the world we have to reflect the True Light which is Christ, just as the moon reflects the light of the sun.  The radiance which shines from the Christian comes from the presence of Christ in the Christian’s heart.  In such a way Christians must be torch-bearers in a dark world. We should not try to hide the light which God has lit in our lives.  Rather, we should let it shine so that others may see our good deeds and praise God.

That is why Christians must be visible like a “city” on a hilltop and a lamp on a “lamp stand”.  Jesus therefore expects His followers to be seen by the world. In addition, they must radiate and give light.  Jesus said: “Let your light shine before men”.  By this metaphor Jesus means that our Christianity should be visible in our ordinary activities.

6. We can exercise being salt of the earth and the light of the world by our Christian witness in a modern secularised society. In a special way we are called to evangelise to others by word and example, at home and at work.  We bear witness most effectively when others see the difference Christ has made in our lives, shining through us as the Light which can be seen, the Light which warms, and the Light which guides.  

We need to live our lives as traces of salt and candles of light. Like a sprinkling of salt transforms a tasteless piece of meat, the salt of Christianity transforms people. As a little light empties the world of darkness, with a little faith and love we can light up society.

Today’s Gospel encourages us to make a visible impact on the world around us.  We can do this, if we surrender ourselves to Christ. So, let us surrender to Christ in order to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world to change it for the better. Amen.