February 9th, 2020. 5th of Ordinary Time. Mt 5, 13-16
In some parishes, when the baptism of children is celebrated, they also perform the rite of salt along with the rite of light. A grain of salt is put in the child’s mouth and a lighted candle is given to the parents. Some families ask you to put more salt on it so that it becomes “salty”. It seems that most of us were not given enough salt, because we are very “dull” Christians. And we know how dull it is, that it is insipid.
Today Jesus tells us in the Gospel that we are “the salt of the earth and the light of the world”. I am sure that when he sees how we are he will be disappointed. We are far from giving flavour to life or being able to enlighten others. And it is not about “being funny or bright”. It is the prophet Isaiah, in the first reading, who gives us the key to being salt and light: “Break your bread with the hungry, give shelter to the homeless, clothe the naked, do not shut yourself up in your own flesh. Turn away from oppression, threatening gestures and murmuring”. The works of mercy.
Easy in theory, complicated in practice. But we cannot give up without trying to make Jesus’ wish come true: to be salt and light for others, and thus “give glory to our Father in heaven”.
Juan Ramon Gomez Pascual, cmf
