5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 58:7-10 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 Matthew 5: 13-16
When we read Saint Matthew’s gospel of the start of the ministry of Jesus what stands out is his declaration that “the Kingdom of God is very near”. The first major event in his ministry is the Sermon on the Mount. Our Gospel last Sunday put before us the beginning of that ‘Sermon’ with the Beatitudes. The declaration had changed slightly but significantly: “The Kingdom of God IS already among you, within you”. Jesus declared that those who are poor in spirit, those who are peacemakers and those who are persecuted in the cause of right are already signs and evidence of the Kingdom of God.
Today’s Gospel reading continues the Sermon on the Mount and further assures us of the calling of the Lord. But our calling involves duties and responsibilities. Pope Saint Leo the Great reminded us “Christians, know your dignity as Christians”. This dignity is defined by the Lord in the Sermon on the Mount. “You are the SALT of the earth, you are the LIGHT of the world”.
At first it may seem trivial to call us salt. Salt of itself seems useless. Only when it comes in contact with other things does it have any value. In our 1st Reading today the Lord says “Feed the hungry, heal the wounded”. Now we can understand something of the value of salt! Salt adds savour to food: salt heals septic wounds: salt preserves what is worth keeping: salt makes the ocean water stimulating. Being ‘Salt of the Earth’ we can enhance the lives of others, we canbring healing to the wounded, we can conserve and preserve all that the Lord has made, we can give vigour and zest to people’s lives. The Earth and its inhabitants need that sort of Salt. Light, like salt, is quite useless until it comes in contact with people or things! Again the Lord says when you come in contact with others, when you minister to them in any way, your light shines – it becomes something of great value. Light enlightens and stimulates the searching mind: Light teaches moral goodness: Light warns of dangers and makes paths safe: Light gives comfort and hope.
The Lord did not say that we are to become the salt and the light, but that we are ARE the salt and the light. Our mission is to be a force for good in the world. We must not allow ourselves be trampled on or hidden from view. And there are challenges too. Salt stings as it heals. We are not to be afraid confronting and challenging and correcting when faced with wrong or evil. Light can startle and blind. We are to be brave and confident as we attempt to be lights to others in their struggles.
Saint Paul is the great example of Salt and Light. He, who was blinded by the light and stung by the salt of conversion faced a world of opposition in “fear and trembling” relying, not on his own human talent, but on the “power of the Spirit” and the Grace of God” (1 Cor 2:1-5)