Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Friends,
As in most Lebanese families, food was a huge concern when I was growing up. It involved drama, conversation, time, and energy. Seasoning mattered, and everyone had an opinion. Today Jesus continues his sermon following the Beatitudes, drawing on similarly ordinary experiences—salt and light—to reveal something extraordinary.
You are the salt of the earth. Salt enhances taste not by adding flavor, but by chemically altering how our taste buds perceive bitterness and sweetness. If salt were to lose its taste, it would be useless to any dish — nothing can substitute for salt.
You are the light of the world. Light, however, also exposes — it makes us visible. Remember the comfort of sleeping with a nightlight as a child, and how even a small glow could break through the fearful darkness.
The good works of Christians are the beams of light that make visible the goodness their Father has poured into them. The Father himself cannot be seen, for he dwells in heaven. Therefore, the visible presence and behavior of Christians ought to re-present—that is, make present again—the majesty, goodness, and glory of God.
Jesus makes it clear that we are not Christians just for ourselves. Christianity is meant to change the world. No matter our state in life, we each have a mission. Yet who am I to be the salt that enhances the earth, or the light that breaks through darkness? It is a mind-boggling comparison when Jesus describes the Christian vocation. It seems we are to be…Him!
When we take time to reflect on the First Reading and the Psalm, we are given a concrete answer to what it means to be salt and light in the lives of others: “Share your bread with the hungry… clothe the naked… conduct your affairs with justice.” Within the freedom of this service, we come to understand the poverty praised by the Beatitudes.
Anthony Quinn
Young Adult Coordinator