Matthew 5:13-16 Salt of the Earth, Light of the World

Matthew 5:13-16
Jesus said, ‘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 hill-top 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.’

Reflection
Just a few short miles from here is the National Gallery of Art, containing one of the world’s finest collections of paintings, sculpture and other works of art dating from the early Middle ages until the present. One of the most frequented of the galleries houses a beautiful exhibit of French impressionist paintings. Manet, Renoir, Cezanne, Degas and Monet are all represented. Earlier in my life I painted quite a bit and I loved to do Monet studies. The real beauty of his impressionist paintings, their most notable feature and challenge, is the interplay between color and light in nature.

The color is in the object itself. Its appearance and its beauty, however, depend upon the light to bring it out, to give it life. Impressionist artwork can be breathtaking as you see how important light is to color, as you realize how light can capture and change the way you look at the world.
The scripture readings of today’s Mass are brief, only a few sentences each. Good things come in small packages, so they say. As with impressionist painting, the thing that comes to the surface in both scripture readings today is the notion of light.

St. Paul writes of “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God … who said ‘let light shine out of darkness’.” St. Paul reminds us, as he did the Corinthian people, that the darkness gives way to the light that is “on the face of Jesus Christ.” No greater work of art, no greater subject for light can be imagined. The more we look on the face of Jesus, like an impressionist painting, the more light we see and the more we are transfixed by it. As the psalmist says, “In your light, we see light itself.”

This idea, this word, is a good lead-in to today’s Gospel selection from St. Matthew. Our brief passage today follows on the heels of the sermon on the mount, Jesus’ beatitudes: “blessed are the poor, the sorrowful, the meek,” and so forth. Our Gospel today presents a commission from Jesus to his followers: “you are the salt of the earth … you are the light of the world.”

In the ancient world, salt was a precious commodity. It gave flavor and zest to food; it served as an important preservative; salt also made people thirst for something more. These meanings, these values attributed to salt were not lost on Jesus. He wanted his disciples to give flavor and zest to the world through his teaching; to preserve the truth as he proclaimed it to the world; to make the world thirst for more, more not only of what he had to say, but more of what he was and is.

In addition to being salt for the earth, Jesus called his followers to be the light of the world. The word “light” is used hundreds of times in the scripture. God’s first words, his first action: “Let there be light.” In St. John’s Gospel, Jesus says of himself and his mission “I am the light of the world.” And so he is, but curiously, in the sermon on the mount, Jesus transfers his light to those who follow him: “You are the light of the world.” There is the most integral connection between who he is and what he does and all of us who take his name, “Christian.” Discipleship is not an abstraction. His Gospel is not a painting, it is not simply an impression of light and color and nature.

To follow the Lord Jesus, to be salt and light for the world, is as real as it gets.
When he says, “I have come that you may have life,” he is speaking to everyone: born and unborn, healthy and sick; rich and poor; innocent and guilty, young and old --- and he is asking us to be that kind salt and light for the world, the kind that brings life. When he says, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me,” he was speaking for everyone, not only for those within our borders but for those who cross them, no matter how they got here --- he is asking us to be that kind of salt and light for the world, the kind that welcomes people home. When he says, “Whatever you do to the least of my sisters and brothers, you do to me,” he is speaking with everyone, whatever color or nationality or state in life, God in our midst, the word made flesh and dwelling among us. He is asking us to be that kind of salt and light for the world.

Why?
Because that is who HE is. Because that is what HE does. And he invites us to follow him.
Earlier I characterized the genius of impressionist art as bringing light to color, as presenting light so that it changes the way one looks at the world. Jesus is the light of the world. Jesus calls us to be that same light. What a different view of the world that light gives! Let the light shine!

Source: Very Reverend David M. O’Connell, C.M.,

Matthew 5:13-16 Salt of the Earth, Light of the World

Matthew 5:13-16 Salt of the Earth, Light of the World
Jesus said, ‘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 hill-top 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.’

Comment
Don’t kid yourself.
There are no exceptions to this.
The Lord Jesus gave us a command.
Not an option. A command.

He said you are to be two things – Salt and Light.

SALT
Jesus also said “You are the salt of the earth”

Here is the question : Why Salt?

What is it about salt that would make it such a beautiful powerful example of the way that Christ expects us to live in the world?

To change and influence the people we live with and the society we live in.

This is such a magnificent common sense example because almost everybody who cooks, cooks with salt and those that do know the effect it has on food when it is mixed in and sprinkled on top.

What are the characteristics of salt?
Think about it.

1. Salt is tiny.
We use it in granular form. The grains are sometimes so tiny and small you hardly know it is there.

2. The colour.
Salt is clear white when it is pure.
And if it is not pure, if it is contaminated, it is no good. You can’t use it. You can’t eat it.
That is the way it is with us. We are to strive to remain pure and chaste.

3. Salt is meant to be mixed with something different than what it is.

4. Salt changes the taste and flavour of the substance it is mixed in with because it sinks in.
It spreads.

5. You will notice it doesn’t take much salt to do the job.
A lot of recipes call for just a little pinch of salt because a little salt goes a long way.

Before the days of refrigerators and freezers, salt was used to cure meat and preserve meat from spoiling.

The purpose of salt is to change, season, flavour, cure and preserve.

And that is exactly what our Lord wants us to do in the world we live in.

That is the way He wants us to live in society.
God is calling us to work and pray to change the world we live in.
To change the course of events.
To cure the wounds of sin, division and injustice. To preserve it from moral corruption.
Salt is a tiny little ordinary substance but the body can’t live without it.
It is vitally important. So do you see what an ingenious example this is?

Think.

Our Lord is telling us that even though we may seem to be little, ordinary, insignificant souls, even though we might feel so little so weak so powerless even though we might be tempted to feel our prayers, our good works and our good examples can’t make any kind of difference and won’t amount to anything in the overall scheme of things but the fact is one good man one good woman can touch the lives of many people around them and bring that part of the world to Christ.

Salt it the example that Christ used to strengthen us, to encourage us, to build us up so we can build up the body of Christ.

Jesus said “you are the salt of the earth. If the salt goes flat it is good for nothing but to be thrown down and trampled underfoot.

So friends, lets take the graces that God has given to us, let’s take the gifts of the Holy Spirit and stand up for Christ.

The one who won’t stand up for Christ will fall for anything.

LIGHT
Jesus said “you are the light of the world”
Where that word ‘light’ is used in scripture, often it is used symbolically.
Light symbolises all of the good things that come from God.
Faith, Hope, Love, Goodness, Justice and Truth.
Then on the other hand, there is darkness.
Darkness, where that word is used in scripture, it symbolises all of the powers of evil in the world.

Jesus said “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in the darkness but will have the light of life”
What does light do?
Light reveals what is hidden in the darkness.
It banished the darkness and makes clear the way.

Our Lord said “You are the light of the world. Nobody lights a lamp and hides it under a bushel basket”
He said “Let your light shine before others so that they can see your good works and give praise to your Father in heaven.


Source: Mission for Truth
Father William Casey, C.P.M