Mt 5: 13-16
“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Brightening the World
Many people today seem to suffer from anxiety and low self esteem, thinking they aren’t smart enough, or good looking enough, or clever enough. On a scale of excellence from one to ten, they might think of themselves as being at level five —adequate perhaps but nothing special.
God, however, might not agree. In today’s Gospel, he tells his followers that they are the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world.” Like them, Jesus wants them and us to give flavor to the earth and brighten the world we live in. Perhaps you have heard the expression, “God made us, and God doesn’t make junk.” I think God wants us to believe that.
And, if we are salt and light, shouldn’t God expect us to play the part and act like who we are? He deserves no less, nor does our world.
—Fr. Frank Majka, SJ, is Midwest Jesuit priest praying for the world, the Church, and the Society of Jesus who lives at the St. Camillus Jesuit Community in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.
Prayer
You Are Salt For The Earth, Oh People,
Salt For The City Of God!
Share The Flavor Of Life, Oh People:
Life In The Kingdom Of God!
Bring Forth The Kingdom Of Mercy,
Bring Forth The Kingdom Of Peace.
Bring Forth The Kingdom Of Justice,
Bring Forth The Kingdom Of God!
You Are A Light On The Hill, Oh People,
Light For The City Of God!
Shine So Holy And Bright, Oh People:
Shine For The Kingdom Of God!
Bring Forth The Kingdom Of Mercy,
Bring Forth The Kingdom Of Peace.
Bring Forth The Kingdom Of Justice,
Bring Forth The Kingdom Of God!
You Are A Seed Of The Word, Oh People,
Bring Forth The Kingdom Of God!
Seeds Of Mercy And Seeds Of Justice,
Grow In The Kingdom Of God!
We Are The Bless’d And A Pilgrim People,
Bound For The Kingdom Of God!
Love Our Journey And Love Our Homeland:
Love Is The Kingdom Of God!
—Lyrics to “You Are Salt For the Earth, O People” by Marty Haugen, ©1986 GIA Publications