Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Salt and Light of the World

02-02-2020Weekly Reflection

The theme that precedes the Gospel this Sunday is the famous: The Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5:1-12). Immediately after Jesus started His ministry, He made clear His mission: Mt. 4:17 “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand…” His Sermon, called the Beatitudes, is the major discourse in the Gospel of Matthew where He outlined what it means to live in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus laid out the fundamental attitude His disciples must develop in their relationship with God as their Father, Him as their Lord and savior, with one another as children of God, and extended to everyone, much like an ethical principle for being disciples.

The theme that precedes the Gospel this Sunday is the famous: The Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5:1-12). Immediately after Jesus started His ministry, He made clear His mission: Mt. 4:17 “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand…” His Sermon, called the Beatitudes, is the major discourse in the Gospel of Matthew where He outlined what it means to live in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus laid out the fundamental attitude His disciples must develop in their relationship with God as their Father, Him as their Lord and savior, with one another as children of God, and extended to everyone, much like an ethical principle for being disciples.

The theme this Sunday summoned Jesus’ disciples to what God’s people are challenged to be: The Salt and Light of the world. Salt and light are good images ultimately describing the people of God and would be disciples who follow the “Beatitudes.” The Gospel emphasized the importance of good examples, the same good works the prophet Isaiah enjoined the post-exilic Jews to practice, Is. 58:7-8 “Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn…” Everyone is invited to follow the path of personal holiness and work for the holiness of others.

Salt is used to give flavor; disciples of the Lord give flavor to the community and the world they live. What makes food attractive to the senses is the flavor or the taste of it. Without the flavor or taste all food would be the same, and there would be no joy in eating. Salt also preserves food from spoiling or corruption. They give a holy taste to human things and keeps the world from corruption by keeping the Beatitudes’ principle alive. Living the “Beatitudes” the disciples of Jesus become the salt of the earth, giving the taste of holiness and preserving the goodness of the world.

To be the “light” is to set our life as an example of the Beatitude in the world. An example in such a way the world will see the good works of the Kingdom of God in us, seeing the good works they may glorify the Father. Just as in the Jewish tradition, “Israel was to be the light to all nations.” (Is. 60:1-3) Isaiah continued his theme of rallying the postexilic Israel, “Then your light shall break forth like the dawn…” As Isaiah predicted, Jesus was “the Light” that overcame the darkness, He challenged His disciples in turn to be the light to those who live in darkness.

Our witness of the Beatitudes, our Christian life, the good works done with the Spirit of Christ our Savior, the salt and light of the world are the best way to bring people to the faith and to God. “Let your light shine before men, that they will see your good works and give glory to the Father who is in heaven. (Vatican II, Apotolicum actuasitatem, 6)