Mt. 5:13-16
We should not ask: ‘ What is wrong with the world?’ For that diagnosis has already been given. Rather we should ask: ‘what has happened to salt and light?’ (John Stott)In today’s gospel, we see Jesus exhorting his disciples to be the salt of the earth and light of the world by living the beatitudes in their day-to-day lives. It is our personal relationship with Jesus that enables us to find meaning in living the beatitudes. We make Christ present in the world by living the beatitudes in a concrete way. These beatitudes are the soul of the gospel. If we fail to find meaning or ignore the beatitudes, we abandon Christ and continue to live in the world as namesake Christians. While speaking about the imagery of salt, Jesus asks, If salt loses its saltiness, it becomes useless and is meant to be thrown out. To be the salt of Christ, we need to imbibe the essence of the gospel, which is clearly manifested in the beatitudes.
Similarly, by living this beatitude with vigour and enthusiasm, we become the light of the world, like Christ. When our brethren encounter our way of life, they should notice a distinction between us and others.The difference should be the reflection of the light of Christ, which we manifest through our compassionate, understanding, loving, and caring presence in the world. Christ came to this world as light. Being in His presence and building a personal relationship with the person of Jesus, we should be able to eliminate the darkness of our sinfulness and selfishness, and thus we should be able to reflect his light and also shine like him.
The first reading taken from the book of Isaiah anticipates the spirit of the beatitudes. Isaiah exhorts the people of Israel to share their bread, shelter the homeless, and clothe the naked. Through the prophet, the Lord assures us that if we live in this spirit of beatitudes, the Lord will be present in our lives as a healer, a protecting shield, and one who liberates us from oppression. Thus, he will be there as a light amidst the darkness and peril of our struggles. The most serious criticism levelled at the spirit of the beatitudes is that it is impractical.Is it worth being the salt of the earth, and is it beneficial to be the light of the world? In his first letter to the Corinthians, which we consider in our second reading, St. Paul insists on relying on God’s power rather than human wisdom.The challenge that we face in our faith journey is that we look down on God’s power and glorify human wisdom.
As we reflect on this passage today, let us be aware that we decline in Christianity solely because we fail to live the beatitudes in our day-to-day lives. Thus we lose our saltiness and fail to be a light to others. We reduced Christianity to ritualistic participation rather than imbibing the spirit of the beatitudes and the spirituality of the Holy Eucharist.The revival of the church depends on our radical living of the beatitudes. Once we begin to live the beatitudes, gradually the light of Christ will spread everywhere.