1.Isaiah58:710
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2.1Corinthians
2:1-5
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Gospel:
Mt5:13-16
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" We are the salt and
light of the World"
Once upon a time there
was an actress who was interviewed in one of the television talk show on how
she was able to become an actress. Really she was gifted with beautiful face and attractive body. In other words she was very beautiful.
According to her she studied in catholic school, and was brought up by her
parents in the catholic faith and values.
After her graduation, a
movie director approached and offered her a leading role in movie he is doing.
So she was really thrilled. The contract gave her a large amount of money and a
vehicle for her to become popular. She agreed with the role after reading the
script. However, one day, the director told her that they have changed a scene
by which she would have a bed with her leading man. And for this time, she was
offered a large amount of money again as a bonus, nevertheless, she declined
the offer. It is because she studied in a catholic school and she thought of
the grave moral harm and scandal that bold scene would do to millions,
particularly young people. So the shooting went on minus that bed scene.
Dear brothers and
sisters in Christ, today's gospel is the continuation of last Sunday's
gospel. Last Sunday's gospel showed us
the basic attitudes or qualities of the members of God's Kingdom. These
qualities are best described in the beatitudes. Our gospel for today tells us
about the task of those members: to be the salt of the earth and the light of
the world. Jesus in the gospel used the metaphorical expression of the ' salt
and light.' Both metaphors are in agreement with regard to something very important. If the salt is left in
receptacle, it is not of use whatsoever. Only when it comes into contact with
food and is dissolved in it, can salt give flavor to what we normally eat. The
same thing happens with light. If it is enclosed and hidden, it cannot
enlighten anyone. Only when it is placed where there is darkness can it
illumine and provide bearing. A Church isolated from the world can be neither
salt nor light.
In my sharing today, I
will simply focus on the salt and its characteristics why Jesus compares us to
a salt?
First and foremost, the
salt flavors things and makes the food tasty. We know how tasteless and
sickening to bite a food if there is no salt. Always we eat food because it
tastes well and salted perfectly. So also with us Christians, we have to
radiate Christ and make Christian values credible and attractive to other people.
Second, salt preserves
food, keeps things from going bad and rotten. Meat is a dead body and if left to itself, goes
bad. But salt preserves it and keeps it fresh.
For us Christians we must know how to preserve Christian values so that
we may be able to defeat evil ones and
may help other people to be good. This quality corresponds to the story of an
actress who refused an offer in order to disgrace herself and disgracing the
church at large.
Third, Salt creates thirst. Do we ever make anyone thirsty for the Lord?
In His own words Jesus
said: " You are the light of the world." However, what happen to our
world today? Our world is not a better world because we Christians, the, '
representatives and the image of God, are not better persons, rather we are
bitter persons. As Mahatma Gandhi said: " I like Christ but I don't like
Christians and the way they live." This is the reason he was not converted
to Christianity.
In the world today in
many evangelical rallies many times we hear preachers who do nothing other than
reminding us that we are sinners. Well this is true. Then, they quote some
verses from the Holy Bible to justify what they preach by reminding the
suffering ahead of us if we will not accept Jesus as the personal Lord and Savior. I don't know if this is true or
not. May be I will be convinced more of
what they say if they will not attack us; if they will preach positively by showing
example rather than negatively.
In our world today, we
are being challenged by the fact that there are some pastors of souls( Priests,
Bishops etc) whose lives are immoral, have children with different wives, some
of them are homosexual and drunkards, very strict and conservatives, un approachable
and non- negotiable. We the people of God look at them as the leaders, healers,
as our counselors, as our fathers as our model and as our examples. Then what
happen?? We sow rumor against these priests, condemn them, ostracized them and
isolated them. But I may ask you, remember even just one moment in your life
that you pray for your priests? Did you remember even just one moment in your
life that you help, support and comfort your own parish priests instead of
making gossip against them? If you remember, then your priests are very lucky
to have you as their parishioners who are so concern and caring of their
pastors. Your priests, and Bishops though are your leaders and shepherds, they
also need your own light and encouragement because Christ did not call only
priests and religious to become light and salt of the world, but also each one
of us.
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