By Fr. Glenn Jones:

Well, last week in the Catholic Sunday Mass (Feb. 1) we heard Jesus open His Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes, describing the internal attitude and character of a true disciple—patience, kindness, sorrow for evil, peacemaking, fortitude, humility. And this weekend we’re back on the mountain with Jesus.

But today, Jesus shifts focus to outward mission and the fruits manifested by the true disciple’s internal character. He looks out at His audience of fishermen, laborers and common people and announces something very bold to these often downtrodden and minimized persons which likely takes them aback: “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.” He doesn’t say “You might be” or “You should strive to be.” He says, “You are.” And He therefore says to the Christian: by virtue of your baptism and your choice to follow Me, “light” to others is what you truly are to be.

But such an identity carries deep responsibility.

We remember that in the ancient world salt wasn’t just an ever-present table condiment like today; it could be hard to acquire and so was a precious commodity, even utilized as currency at times.

Now, salt has two primary purposes: it preserves and seasons. These days we take for granted the fridge in every kitchen, but back then salt is what kept meat from rotting. Thus, Jesus uses the analogy for Christians to indicate that they are called to be the “moral preservative” for a humanity which is often decays into selfishness and malice.

Secondly, salt also brings out the best in food, enhancing flavor. St. Augustine warns us that we become “bland” (tasteless) when we chase after earthly abundance or hide our faith out of fear. We become just like the rest of the world—if we gossip like the world, judge like the world, hoard like the world—and then the world’s salt has lost its effect. As St. John Chrysostom puts it: “If others lose their savor, your ministry helps them regain it. But if you lose yours, you drag others down with you.”

Jesus then compares his followers to light. A light, of course, is meant to be seen. One doesn’t light a lamp to hide it; what would be the point? It would do no good. And Jesus doesn’t call us the light of “one nation” or some number of cities, but of the whole world. Imagine this group of poor Galileans hearing that, who had likely never traveled more than fifty miles from home. And yet we witness the truth of it. Francis of Assisi, Mother Teresa and other saints were nothing by worldly standards, but witness how they flavored the world by their reflection of Jesus’ light.

But how do we shine this light? How fulfill this mission? Our first reading in the Mass from Isaiah “en-light-ens” us: “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 … If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday.” (Isaiah 58:7-10)

So, light of the disciple is not just nice feelings; it is action. When we do works of mercy, we aren’t just being “nice people”; we are manifesting what St. Paul calls the “demonstration of Spirit and power.” Paul testifies (1 Corinthians 2:1-5) that he didn’t convert with “sublimity of words” or “human wisdom,” but rather by living the “folly” of the Cross … the “folly” of being light to others.

But the danger for us today is timidity. We live in a time that tells us faith must be private. Yet Jesus says a “city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.” So, if our faith has no impact on how we treat our coworkers, how we vote, how we spend our money, or how we speak on social media, we are hiding our lamp. We are not shining light. A Christian who lives only for their own “personal spirituality” without seeking to alleviate suffering of their neighbors is like salt that has stayed in the shaker: eventually it just clumps together and becomes useless. It does no good.

Catholics and Orthodox believe that receiving the Eucharist is receiving Jesus Himself—a sacrament instituted at the Last Supper when He proclaimed of the bread: “This is My Body”, and of the cup of wine, “This is My Blood,” bolstered by explicit foreshadowing in John 6 and Paul’s testimony in 1 Corinthians 10 and 11, not even touching here on early Christian practice.  Referring to this, St. Augustine would tell his congregation: “… become what you receive.” We receive the Light of the World in the Eucharist so that we can exit the church doors and be that light in the parking lot, our homes, our workplaces, the store, the park or wherever we are.

The world is often dark and, frankly, a bit tasteless right now. It starves for the divine seasoning of mercy, justice and truth. So, the follower of Jesus must not be afraid of the “saltiness” he exhibits in the fact that faith differentiates us from others. Remember that the lighted bulb guides others out of the darkness.

Jesus IS the light…He IS truth…and if we are truly His disciples, we are to mirror His light, reflecting the light by doing as He did, seeking the good of our fellow man even before our own. By doing so we provide hope to others, showing them that there is no need to despair, but through us the goodness and love of Christ live on. So don’t be afraid to shine, not so people see you, but rather, as Jesus says, so that they “see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Editor’s note: Rev. Glenn Jones is the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and former pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Los Alamos.