Daily Reflection – 6/13/2023
Sacred Scripture
Jesus said to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:13-16)
Reflection
Most of us have spent time reflecting on what it is that God has called us to do. Some have done it as they pondered a vocation in the Church. Others have done it as part of their own faith introspection. Still others have done it as they mused on the simple question: “ What could God want of me.”
Every Christian is called by God to be an influence on the world around them. Today’s scripture reminds us of that universal call of Jesus Christ – the call to be both salt and light. Both salt and light have properties which affect things around them. Salt is used to enhance flavor, and as a preservative. To ‘be salt’ means to deliberately seek to influence the people in one’s life by showing them the unconditional love of Christ through good deeds. Light is a symbol used to mean awareness, knowledge, and understanding. To ‘be light’ means to be a witness to others concerning the truth of God’s Word, especially about who Christ is and how he died and rose again for our salvation.
To be a Christian it is not enough to be good; we must be seen to be so. It is not enough to ‘have a spirituality’ that fills us with a feeling of peace and tranquility. The spirituality of the Gospel is essentially outreaching. We have not only to be disciples of Christ but also need to proclaim him. We’re called to light the world ablaze.
For us to become the Light of the World as Jesus commands, we are supposed to first, possess the virtues of Christ, hear His teachings and follow Him and secondly, become good examples to others in an open manner by exhibiting all good things that Christ taught us. Our light is reflected in how people see us living our life. They must see Christ in us. They must see the dignity of the human person and the noble calling each one of us has to live forever with God. They must see that love and mercy triumph over evil, suffering and death. The world needs our light because the world needs Christ.
Our job is not to change people but to change ourselves so that our lives can radiate a goodness that others can see. That goodness need not be definitive or earth shattering. It is good enough that our goodness is positive and sincere. When we are kind enough in the supermarket to help an elderly woman take her groceries out of her cart in the checkout line, our light shines. When we are brave enough at school to speak to the classmate who others shun or ridicule, our environment becomes a bit brighter. When we are compassionate enough to visit a neighbor who has just lost his wife after 50 years of marriage—purporting to bring him cookies but in fact simply wanting to break his loneliness—we inch the world closer to the kingdom of God.
When Jesus tells us that we are the light of the world, he is reminding us that our job is not to change people but to illumine them. Then, as they stand in the light that our simple acts of kindness emits, God can change them. That is why we are the light of the world. That is why we are asked to let our light shine.
Prayer of The Day
Lord Jesus Christ, You have commanded us to become the Light of the World and Salt of the Earth. Give us strength, courage and humility so that we can become perfect examples to others and bring them closer to You
Daily Note
Jesus himself is the light of the world and he calls us to reflect his light; the only way we can do that is to follow him. It’s not enough just to know him and his teachings. We need to follow him, to walk as he walked, to love as he loved, to care as he cares, to do as he has done. The way we give off light for others is by following Christ so that they can follow us along the path of light on which Christ himself is guiding us.
