Word to the Wise
Tuesday, June 9, 2020 - Tuesday in the 10th Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Kgs 17:7-16 and Matt 5:13-16]"You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?........You are the light of the world......Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father." [Matthew]
Some years ago, the American bishops published a document on parish life entitled Communities of Salt and Light," taking its inspiration, obviously, from Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. We know that the evangelist Matthew put many of Jesus' teachings together in creating the Sermon on the Mount, but the overall intent of Jesus becomes clear as we read through the Sermon. To be salt of the earth and light of the world requires a great deal of wisdom and courage to accompany our faith.
We commonly use the expression, "salt of the earth," to describe a reliable, wise and unpretentious person who is always willing to "do their part" and show the common sense that comes from wisdom. It is not as common, at least in my experience, to hear someone described as "the light of the world" except, perhaps, in the descriptions we hear at canonization ceremonies. I don't know if those words were used when St. Teresa of Calcutta was canonized, but her life comes to mind when I hear of a life that is "the light of the world."
On a physical level, we know that salt is an essential ingredient for life. But too much or too little salt is dangerous. We need light as well. Too much or too little can upset our body's rhythms. The expression of our faith in everyday life means learning the wisdom that will tell us when we are "too much" or "too little" and give us the courage to let that right amount shine through for the world to see and glorify God. The traditional prayer for the Holy Spirit says, "Grant us in that same Spirit to be truly WISE....." AMEN