Gospel reading: Matthew 5:13-16
Jesus said to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again? It is good for nothing, and can only be thrown out to be trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hilltop cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.
Homily
Every single human being carries a dark or shadow self within them. So many who have been endowed with great gifts and talents also exhibit great negatives. We have to recognize that we are all a mixture of sin and grace, and that where sin abounds, grace does all the more abound. We are all called to recognize the great contrasts in our lives, the contrast of sin and grace, so that we can praise and thank God for the grace, and seek to remove the sin from our lives.
As I read the Gospel passage, I focused on Jesus’ saying, “You are the salt of the earth but if salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again? It is good for nothing, and can only be thrown out to be trampled underfoot by men.” I thought of the moments in life when someone or some institution brought something new to our lives, something that gave our lives sparkle and character and excitement [that is what seasonings do for food],I thought of the Church, a force for change in places like El Salvador and the Philippines. I thought of political parties, preaching togetherness and one love, and the excitement that that movement generated. I thought of the batting elegance of Brian Lara and of footballers like, Messi and Ronaldo and then I remembered young cricketers and footballers, who seemed so exciting and who showed such great promise, and then like the salt that became tasteless, lost their capacity to excite and to bring character to their teams, and had to be discarded. And I think of political parties which promised so much, and excited the nation, and then suddenly seemed to lose their way, and were rejected because they no longer uplifted the people, and I think of the Church, quiet in the face of racism, and mocked because of clerical and financial scandals and then Pope Francis, bringing excitement and dignity once again to the Church.
But this movement of Grace and sin is also close to us and present in us. We all remember grandparents and uncles and aunts who brought joy to our homes anytime they visited, and we all remember starting things with enthusiasm, and exciting others with our plans and then letting these plans fall when the going got rough.
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Today the Gospel tells us through the images of salt and light the kind of person that Jesus was, and the kind of persons you and I who imitate Jesus must be.
Today we thank God for people, who like salt never lose their savor, never become tasteless even in the face of tremendous challenges. They are the true followers of Jesus.
The Gospel also tells us what true religion is about. It is about being salt in a world which is no longer exciting for so many. It is about bringing hope to unemployed and underemployed youth so that they can pursue their dreams, it is about organizing forgotten communities, so that they can do for themselves, what successive governments promise and never do. It is about helping the aged to feel useful again. It is about giving people something for which they want to live. When we do this, we make the world a better place. We take away the sin of the world.
We must not be street angels however. We are also called to be salt and light for those closest to us. As a rule, one’s spouse, one’s children, one’s parents must be excited by one’s presence. They must find life worth living because of us. This is an ideal, but it is an ideal for which all of us strive. When we stop striving, like salt which has become tasteless, we are good for nothing except to be thrown out.
As we look at our lives we will discover the two movements. Let us thank God for the persons and institutions in our communities, who are salt and light, for the NGO’s like HOPE and Servol, for Father Gerry Pantin and others like them who bring joy and encouragement, and who make life worth living for so many. Let us thank God for our own moments of grace, and let us ask pardon for the moments of sin. Let us ask God for the grace to be salt and light always, wherever we may be.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, we acknowledge that there is a battle inside of us between sin and grace and that at times we let sin be victorious. WE KNOW HOWEVER THAT YOU HAVE CONQUERED SIN. Help us Father we pray to destroy with your grace the sin in our lives so that Grace may flourish and we can make this world a better place for others. Help us to be Salt and Light so that those around us may encounter the joy of living in your grace. We ask this through the intercession of Mary, our mother and Jesus your son. Amen.
