Have you ever been served a delicious-looking plate of food and when you took a bite of it, it was the blandest thing you had ever tasted? You perhaps politely looked around the table for a salt shaker. Not finding one, if you knew the host well, you asked for some salt to give the food some flavor.
Salt makes the bland flavorful. Salt makes the insipid tasty. Salt makes the dull interesting.
If you’ve ever lost electric power at your house, you know that as soon as the sun goes down, darkness immediately creeps in. When I was young in Peru the lights would go out often when terrorist blew up power stations, so we had candles and matches ready in every room of the house. A single candle, even if it was weak, would pierce right through the darkness revealing what the darkness hid.
Light makes the unknown seen. Light makes the frightening comforting. Light makes the dangerous safe.
Jesus uses these two powerful symbols today and we understand them just as his disciples did 2,000 years ago. He tells them “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.”
Jesus’ words to his disciples are best understood if we first realize that Jesus himself is the salt of the earth and the light of the world. His disciples become the salt of the earth and the light of the world in the measure they preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is Jesus’ presence in them that makes them the salt and the earth of the earth.
Jesus is the salt of the earth because without God, life becomes bland, insipid and dull, just like the salt-less dish. Without God hope is quickly lost. Without God, life becomes monotonous and meaningless. Without God, we become like robots. Jesus is the salt of the earth because he gives meaning to our life and reveals to us who we truly are, precious beings made in the image and likeness of God, and reveals to us our destiny, happiness in eternal life with him. Jesus takes what can become our bland existence and raises it to the divine.
Jesus is the light of the world because without God, life becomes dark, frightening and dangerous like a house without electric power. Jesus is the light stand to guide our feet throughout our life journey. Jesus is the light that longs to shine in the darkest corners of our heart to heal our wounds and forgive our sins. With him guiding us, there is no need to be afraid because he takes care of all obstacles and dangers.
We become salt and light in the measure we live out the Gospel. We are salt and light when we follow Isaiah’s instructions by sharing our bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless, clothing the naked, removing oppression, false accusations and malicious speech. We become sources of hope, joy and healing for others.
Today the diocese kicks off the 2014 Bishop Appeal with the bishop’s video after communion. This is a concrete opportunity for us to participate in the Church’s mission to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world in South Georgia. It’s an invitation to live out the Gospel by reaching out to others and proclaiming Christ. The salt by flavorful and the light strong at our parish, we met our goal last year, may the salt not lose its flavor nor the light diminish this year as we contribute to the works of the bishop.
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