salt

Jesus calls us to be salt and light.

As we continue our journey in Ordinary Time, we continue to be blessed to sit at the feet of Jesus for the next few weeks as we hear, ponder, and hopefully begin to put into practice his teachings from the Sermon on the Mount. In today’s account, Jesus has just finished presenting the beatitudes and encourages his disciples to live out this empowering teaching by being “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (cf. Mt 5:13-16).

This call continues to ring true for us today as his disciples. We too are to be “salt” and “light”. Salt has two major properties, preservation and flavor. Jesus emphasizes the aspect of salt being seasoning that one puts on food, which enhances its flavor. Our lives are better when we put into practice Jesus’ teachings and are transformed. Not only does the life of God living in us enhance our experience of life, we enhance the lives of others. 

We are also to preserve the goodness that God has created. For all that God has created is good. The enemy, Satan and his minions seek to corrupt and disorder that which God has made good. We are to counter the effects of sin with remaining faithful in times of darkness. Allowing Jesus to shine his light in us, we experience his love in the darkness in our lives, are forgiven, experience, healing and move to wholeness. Through our transformation we then radiate the light of Jesus for others and invite them to allow the light of Jesus into places where they too may not feel loved, where they feel alone, or isolated. In experiencing God’s love and light shining through us to them, they can begin their own journey of healing.

Each morning upon awaking and experiencing our first breather of the day, let us remember that we are an Alleluia people. A people grounded in hope and joy which we experience more as we die to our old self, our sinful self, so that we become less and Jesus becomes more. Our faith is not just for us alone, we are to go out and share it with others, we are to bring Jesus to others. “Isreal was to be a light to the nations (Isa 60:1-3; Bar 4:2). Jesus calls his disciples to fulfill this role by living the beatitudes in such a way that the world may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (Mitch and Sri, 92). 

Pope Francis, in the very first line of his apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, writes: “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, emptiness, and loneliness.” The Pope is not saying that when we accept Jesus into our lives and develop a relationship with him that all will go our way and on our own terms, there will no longer be conflict or pain, and that our life will now be perfect. 

Jesus is the very embodiment of love and the light that leads us away from the darkness of our sin. His love invites us to experience a better way. Instead of path leading to death, Jesus lights the way to eternal life. Jesus is present and accompanies us in our pain and sorrow and assures us that we are not alone. Jesus is the one who fulfills the longing of our heart’s deepest desire, he reveals to us our meaning and vocation in life. Jesus offers us hope as well as his hand to lead us through our darkest nights of despair and trauma.

We who have experienced the healing balm of the presence of Jesus in our lives, have grasped his hand for strength, have leaned on his shoulder to cry on, and experienced the joy of our encounter with him, are to be present to others in the same way. We are to be salt by bringing the joy of Jesus to all those we encounter. We need to resist becoming salt that has lost their flavor, meaning that we are no different than those in the world. We are not to slip into gossip, cynicism, and relativism, but instead are to be people of integrity, understanding, and truth.

I am not extroverted or outgoing by nature. I was much more reserved and internal as a youth. In my freshman or sophomore year of college, I heard a talk on cassette given by Mother Theresa of Calcutta. She mentioned reaching out to others with a smile. I still remember the first time of risking to smile at someone after hearing Mother’s encouraging words. I was walking up the sidewalk toward the parking garage on campus. I do not remember if the person I smiled at returned the smile, yet I do remember that day as a key moment in my faith journey. 

Having heard practically how to share the light of God’s love with another, and then to follow through, filled me with joy. Smiling continues to make a difference in my life and hopefully, the lives of others. When we are living our lives as Jesus guides us, as we read, meditate, ponder and put into practice his teachings, then the people in our realm of influence then we are being salt and light. People feel better after having been in our presence, because they have had an encounter with Jesus through us. Even if they feel convicted, they are not condemned but offered a better way that leads from shadows or darkness and into light.

How can we be salt and light that Jesus invites us to be? Live our lives as he did and commit daily to spending time breathing, receiving, resting and abiding in the presence of his Father and following his will. A simple way of adding some flavor and some warmth in our interactions is offering a smile. Doing so need not only be limited to those we feel comfortable with or like. We can share a smile with those we may have had conflicts with and even those for whom we may feel a bias or prejudice toward. This is only a small beginning, but it draws us out from our own self-centered focus and directs our attention toward willing the good of another.

A simple, yet genuine smile can work wonders for someone who begins to believe that no one cares or has the time of day for them. This is true for the recipient as well as the giver. If you have felt like you have lost some of your flavor or if you are not sure how to be a light for others, next time you catch the eye of another, smile.

In this small act, we say to the person on the receiving end of our smile that we care enough to notice them, that they are loved just for being present in that moment. They have worth and dignity just for who they are. A simple, sincere smile can bring a little flavor to someone in a sour mood, as well as a little light to someone in a very dark place. 

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Photo: As we allow ourselves to be transformed by the love of the Holy Spirit we will radiate the love of God to others.

Mitch, Curtis. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010.

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, June 9, 2026

We are to reflect the light of Jesus with every thought, word, and deed.

Our readings today embody the core of the Gospel message, in fact, the core of the written record of the Bible and our Tradition as Catholics. The Son of God became one with us in our humanity so that we can become one with him in his divinity. Jesus is the incarnation of the Son of God, he is God made man so that through our participation in his life we can become like God, we can be restored to the likeness of God that we were originally created to be and that has been lost to us through our sin.

Ultimately, what is Jesus saying to his disciples then and to us his disciples today when he said, “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world”? We are called by him to be holy, we are to be deified or divinized. Our likeness is meant to be like God’s likeness and so we need to be transformed, perfected in and by Christ and through the Holy Spirit. As we are, our likeness to and the glory of God will gradually be restored.

We are a living, craving, hunger, and desire to be one with God and each other. This is true for the atheist as well as the mystic alike. God did not create us just to survive and merely exist, to take up space and then die. He created us to be fully alive, to be loved and to love, and to collaborate with him to bring about his reign on earth as it is in heaven. We are to breathe, receive, rest, and abide in the love of God, experience his consolation and joy, just as we are as his beloved daughters and sons. Yet, we all fall short of the glory of God when we sin and curve in upon ourselves.

Sometimes that happens because of the deep physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual wounds that we have experienced. It also happens when we listen to the father of lies and demons that seek to distort, divert, and destroy the love of God and the good he has created. We are tempted to turn away from the love God offers and feed the anxieties and fears that arise as we feel isolated and alone. Jesus is the light that has come to reveal to us a path that leads to forgiveness, healing, and a clearer vision of the truth.

Jesus came to save us and he opened up heaven for us in the humanity he assumed. God loved us into existence out of the abundance of a trinitarian communion of love, and loves us so much he is willing to risk that we will reject him. He desires that we choose him freely. Jesus shines the light in our darkness to reveal to us those ways in which we have said no to God and invites us to repent, to turn away from our sin and to restore our relationship with our loving God and Father.

Our yes to God is not a one time yes for all time. We need to make a daily, moment by moment yes to God in every aspect of our life. God loves us more than our worst mistakes, our greatest sin, and more than we can ever mess up. He is just waiting for us to turn to him, so he can forgive us and release us from our bondage. God loves us so that we can receive his love, return to communion with him, and love others as he has loved us.

Jesus calls us to be the salt of the earth, to preserve that which is good and holy in God’s creation and to add the flavor of Christ to our human lives. Jesus calls us to be the light that shines in the darkness leading people to experience that which is good, true, and beautiful about being a human being fully alive. That means we need to be cleansed of our sin, healed from our wounds, and better discern the voices that we are listening to. Each thought, word, and action that we take will help us to be salt and light when we discern each through a prayerful pause. If we make the time to breathe and pray before entertaining any thought, speaking any word, and engaging in any action, we will make choices for God and our holiness.

On our own merits and efforts, this is impossible, but in union with Jesus all things are possible. We become holy by following the guidance of the psalmist. Our hearts are to be firm and steadfast as we trust in the Lord (cf Psalm 112: 8-9) and along with St. Paul we need to believe that we “rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God” (I Cor. 2:5). As we are more and more conformed to the life of Jesus, people no longer see us, but Jesus working in and through us. As we mature in our walk with Jesus we too will be able to say with Saint Paul that I have been crucified with Christ, yet it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (cf. Galatian 2:19-20).

We become the salt of the earth and a light to the world, we become holy, when we accept the reality that God is God and we are not. When we willingly and with firm intent say yes to the grace, the free gift, of the invitation of Jesus. When we read from and meditate and pray with the words of the Bible, and are willing to be led into contemplation by the Holy Spirit; when we slow down on a daily basis to hear the Word of God who speaks to us in the silence of our hearts; and when we allow the love of the Holy Spirit to purge and purify us from us all that is not of God, we experience forgiveness, healing, and freedom to be ourselves.

Our prayer and practice and transformation is not for us alone. Prayer, meditation, and contemplation are where we become aware of the invitation to experience God vertically, where he calls us through the love of the Holy Spirit and sends us out on mission. This outward action directed toward others is our relationship with God horizontally. The two directions, vertical and horizontal, intersect as the trinitarian love of the Cross.

When we become people of prayer, allow our eyes to see the needs of our neighbor, and allow our hearts to feel again compassion for one another, we will hear with the prophet Isaiah:  “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” (Isaiah 58:7). We will also hear Jesus say, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me” (Mt 25:35-36).

These words may not be easy to hear nor to put into practice, but the Word of God is the kindling we need to ignite the embers of our soul. Our “light will shine before others” (Mt 5:16) when we ponder these words and are willing to allow the Fire of the Holy Spirit to burn the dross of our sin, pride, prejudice, and selfishness from within, and allow ourselves to be set ablaze by the Love of God. When we allow Jesus to live in and through us we will no longer be shaped by the world, but we will set the world on fire with his love.

Aflame with the fire of God’s love, we become “the light of the world” (Mt 5:14). This light does not come from ourselves. We are to reflect the light of Jesus in our homes, our places of worship, and in our communities. Let us not be afraid of this present age or each other. Let us allow the light of Christ to help us to see each other as brothers and sisters. Let us love one another, will each other’s good, as Jesus loves us.

Photo: Who better than Mary reflected the light of Jesus? Mary’s face is illuminated from the rising moon outside the stained glass window.

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, February 8, 2026