Word to the Wise
Tuesday, June 12, 2007 - Tenth Tuesday in Ordinary Time
[2 Corinthians 1:18-22 and Matthew 5:13-16]You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?.......
The Sermon on the Mount continues from yesterday's gospel scripture and will be with us for some days now. Today Jesus uses three very concrete images: salt, place, and light to illustrate an important point: discipleship is not just a personal and private identity known only to the disciple and God. Discipleship is meant to preach the reality and goodness of God. There's an old poster that said: "If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" It is true that Jesus, in this very same Sermon on the Mount, criticizes people who do religious acts so that others will praise them for doing those things. That is not the reason for being a disciple. An early post-Vatican II hymn goes: "And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our lovvvvve!" Discipleship is meant to convey a message about God and from God: that message is that we are meant to love God and our neighbor as ourself. When we do this, we will be salt of the earth and light of the world. If we try to conceal our faith, we are like salt that has lost its flavor or a light hidden under a bushel basket. To be a Christian disciple is to be a person for others, not a secret member of a gnostic sect. AMEN
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