Pass the Salt and Put on the Light A Homily for the

5th Sunday of the Year

Msgr. Charles Pope February 5, 2017 4 Comments

59

In the Gospel today the Lord describes metaphorically what a Christian is and what He expects of us. Note five things about
what God says:

I The Definitiveness of His Proclamation The text says, You are the Salt of the earth. You are the light of the
World. But if salt goes flat it is good for nothing. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket.

The Lord is definitive in two ways. First, He says, You. He is not talking just to people long ago or to the person next to
you. He is not merely talking to your pastor or the Saints. He is talking to you. You are salt. You are light. You. Its too easy to
say, Look at what the Lord is saying to those people long ago near the lakeside. Its not long ago; its now. Its you.

The second way that the Lord is definitive is in saying that both images depend on us; if we are not salt and light then no
one else will be and we will have utterly voided our worth.

1. The metaphor of salt: You are either salt or you are nothing; in fact, you are good for nothing. As Christians, we
have signed up to be specialists. This means is that if we go off and do something else instead, we are nothing and
are good for nothing. Its an all-or-nothing scenario. Jesus says that if you have decided to be His disciple you are
either going to do that or else be nothing. You may go on to be a doctor, lawyer, teacher, laborer, or social worker, but
the Lord has plenty of those (and so does the devil). Your first and only mission is to be a true and uncompromised
Christian; everything else is mere commentary. You may be a great doctor, but if you dont do it as a clear and visible
Christian you are nothing. You may be a skilled social worker, but if you dont do it as a Christian you are good for
nothing. Any non-believer can be socially useful as a doctor or social worker, but only a Christian can be a Christian. If
you dont do job one, you are nothing. If you supply your children with every good thing, but do not act as a Christian
witness to them and bring them to Christ, you are good for nothing. Any parent can provide his children with material
things, but only a Christian can give them Christ. Got it? Youre either salt (a true Christian) or you are nothing.

2. The metaphor of light: The Lord says that you are the light of the world, not merely a light. What this means is
that if we do not shine, the world is darker; no one can take our place. If we dont shine by living our faith and
 proclaiming it, the world is in darkness. Buddha cant help. Mohamed cant pull it off. Science and humanism cant
substitute. Either we are light or there is none. Some may call this arrogant, but I just call it Scripture. The Lord said it,
not us. We are either light or else the world is dark. And if the world is getting darker, whose fault is that? We need not
go far. Too many Christians fulfill Isaiah 56:10, which says, Israels watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they
are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep. You may be an exception, but too
many Christians are not.

Therefore, notice the definitive pronouncement the Lord makes here. We Christians are either with the Lord or were nothing.
Were either light or the world is in darkness.

II The Dynamics of Salt When Jesus says that we are the salt of the earth, what are some of the lessons we can learn?
Consider these four things:

1. Salt seasons. Christians are called to add spice to life, to bring beauty, joy, and hope to the world. Joy is the
surest sign of a Christian. Even our keeping of the Commandments is a source of joy, as we experience Gods power
to put sin to death in us and bring forth order, self-discipline, and holiness. Hope, too, ought to distinguish us from a
world that is often cynical and thinks sin is inevitable. To this world we are not only to declare that the Commandments
are possible and bring joy, but to demonstrate it in our lives. We are to be zesty, passionate, alive, and free from sin in
Christ. Yet, sadly, we Christians are known more for what we are against. Too many Christians are not spicy; they do
not really add flavor. They are more like bored believers, depressed disciples, fearful faithful, and frozen chosen. In our
best moments, look what spicy things the faith has contributed: Art, music, churches, hospitals, universities, the
scholastic and scientific methods, and holidays (a mispronunciation of Holy Days). Our tradition and Scriptural
teaching of justice, mercy, love, and the dignity of the human person has blessed the world. Do you bring spice to the
lives of others? Do you bring hope and joy? Scripture says,Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who
calls you to account for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15). That means that people notice hope in you! Do they?
How?

2. Salt preserves. Before refrigeration, people often used salt to cure or preserve meat. The salt killed bacteria and
other microorganisms that caused rot and decay. As Christians, we are called to prevent further decay in this sin-
soaked world. The truth that we proclaim is meant to preserve people from the decay of sin and overindulgence.
Chastity, justice, generosity, and the proclamation of the truth, are like salt that preserves this world from decay. We
must be salt. If we are not, nothing else is. You are the salt.

3. Salt heals. In the ancient world, salt was used on wounds. It helped to stop bleeding, killed bacteria, and
prevented further infection. So, too, the Christian faith. Through our doctrinal and moral teaching, and our living of it,
we are called to bring healing to this world, which is wounded by sin, strife, war, jealousy, anger, bitterness, retribution,
promiscuity, unfaithfulness, greed, and countless other errors. The Word of God and His plan is a healing medicine for
what ails this world.

4. Salt burns. Yes, salt stings when applied to wounds. We Christians arent just sugar and spice and everything
nice. When salt is applied to wounds it burns and often brings out loud protest. The truth stings, too. The truth of the
Gospel can be irritating to a world that is wounded by sin. But despite the protests of the world, the sting is a healing
one. It is driving out the disease of the world and preventing further infection. Just because people protest the Church
and howl in complaint at the truth of the Gospel does not mean we have done anything wrong. In fact, protests often
show that we are doing exactly what we must.
 III. The Destination of Salt The Lord says that you are the salt of the earth. He did not say that you are the salt of
the Church. For salt to be effective it has to get out of the shaker! Too many Christians are bold in the pew but cowards in
the world. They will speak of the faith in the relative security of the Church and among certain friends, but dont ask them to
preach to their spouse, their co-worker, or even their children; thats too scary. And dont even think about asking them to
knock on doors, or to go to the local mall and witness, or to stand in front of an abortion clinic.

Salt in the shaker is useless. It has to come out of the shaker in order to make any difference. You dont salt salt. Witnessing
to fellow Christians may have a limited benefit, but it is not really the true destination of salt. The salt has to go forth. When
the priest or deacon says The Mass is ended go in peace, he might as well be holding up a salt shaker and shaking it!

Its long past time for the salt (you and me) to go forth. Consider these observations about life in our country today:

In the last fifty years there has been an increase of more than a 500% in violent crime.
There are more than half a million abortions each year.
Since 1970, the divorce rate has quadrupled. The overall number of divorces may have declined recently, but it is
due more to people not getting married in the first place.
More than 40% of children today do not live with both their biological parents. Since the 1970s, the percentage of
children living in single-parent homes has tripled.
As the family has broken down, here is what has been happening to our young:
o a quadrupling in juvenile arrests,
o a 400% increase in births outside of wedlock,
o one million teenage pregnancies annually,
o three million teenagers treated annually for sexually transmitted diseases,
o a 200% increase in the rate of teenage suicide,
o a drop in average SAT scores,
o two-thirds of high school students have experimented with illegal drugs.
In the schools, one cannot pray or mention religion, yet condoms are freely available and all sorts of
aberrant and alternative lifestyles and philosophies are openly promoted.
Parental consent is required for a child to go on a field trip or to get an aspirin, but in many states
abortion referrals can be made without parental consent.
Our neighborhoods are devastated by poverty, injustice, crime, and despair.
All of this has happened on our watch. Its time for the salt to work. The world needs the salt to get out of the shaker and do
its work of seasoning, purifying, and preserving.

IV. The Details of Light Jesus goes on to say, Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father. Lets consider four things about this light:

1. The CAUSE of the light Notice that little word: Let. We are to yield to Christ, to allow Him to shine through us.
He is the cause of our light. Let your light shine. Theres an old gospel song that says, When you see me trying to do
good, trying to live as a Christian should, its just Jesus, Jesus in me.

2. The COST of the light The light is to shine, but there is no shining without burning. Shining costs us something.
It may be Christs light, but it shines through us. This means sacrifice. It means letting Him use you. It means not
always sleeping when you want to. It means not just sitting at home and saying, Aint it awful. It means getting out
and getting involved. It means getting out there and risking a few things. It means being visible, targeted, and
 identified with someone (Jesus) who is hated by many. And in a world that prefers the darkness to light (cf. John 3:19-
21), it means being called harsh, out-of-touch, and hateful. There is no shining without burning.

3. The CONCRETENESS of the light Letting our light shine is no mere abstraction. Jesus speaks of deeds.
Shining involves concrete behavior. Your light shines by the way you live, the choices you make, the behavior you
exhibit. It shines when Christians get married and stay married, stay faithful to their commitments, and are people of
their word. Our light shines when we tell the truth instead of lying, live chastely instead of fornicating, are courteous
and respectful instead of rude. It shines when we respect life, drive safely, and shun reckless and risky behavior. Our
light shines when we clean up our language, give to the poor, and work for justice. It shines when we refuse to
purchase pornographic, violent, or other degrading materials. Our light shines when we love instead of hate, seek
reconciliation instead of revenge, and pray for our enemies instead of cursing them. It shines when we walk uprightly
and speak the truth in love, without compromise. Thats when our light begins to shine.

4. The CONSEQUENCE of the light God is glorified when our light shines. We do not act or get involved merely to
vent our own anger or to fight for our own sake. We are light to glorify God. It is not about our winning, it is about God
shining and being glorified. When we do get involved, too often we seek merely to win the argument rather than to
glorify God. Often we act in order to garner praise rather than to have God glorified. We need to pray for good
intentions, for it is possible to do the right thing for the wrong reason. The desired result is Gods glory not our glory.

OK, now pass the salt and turn on the light!