MATTHEW 5:13-16
CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT
THOSE DISCIPLES MUST HAVE THOUGHT WHEN JESUS CALLED THEM THE SALT OF
THE EARTH AND THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD? THEY WERE PRETTY ORDINARY –
FISHERMEN, TAX COLLECTORS, A FEW WOMEN, ONE OF WHOM AT LEAST YOU
DIDN'T WANT TO BE SEEN WITH IN POLITE COMPANY. AND THEY WERE THE
SALT OF THE EARTH?
I WAS THINKING ABOUT
CHIPPY THE BARBER, WHOM MANY OF US KNEW, WHO PASSED AWAY RECENTLY.
WHEN I FIRST CAME TO LONGMEADOW, I STARTED GOING TO CHIPPY FOR MY
HAIR CUTS. IN THOSE DAYS YOU WOULD OFTEN SEE HIM AT THE SEVEN OCLOCK
MASS HERE AT ST. MARY'S. YOU GOT THE FEELING THAT WHEN HE WAS
PRAYING HE WAS UNAWARE OF ANYTHING ELSE; HE WAS TOTALLY WRAPPED UP IN
WHAT WAS GOING ON ON THE ALTAR.
ONE THING ABOUT CHIPPY
WAS THAT HE TREASURED WHAT HE HAD. HE DELIGHTED IN HIS FAMILY,
ESPECIALLY THE GRANDCHILDREN. THE HIGH POINT OF HIS YEAR WAS A TRIP
TO THE BEACH IN RHODE ISLAND, WHERE HE AND HIS WIFE HAD SPENT THEIR
HONEYMOON. HE TOLD ME ONCE THAT EXCEPT FOR THAT ANNUAL TRIP AND HIS
TIME IN THE MILITARY, HE'D NEVER BEEN OUTSIDE OF THE GREATER
SPRINGFIELD AREA. I THINK ANYONE WHO KNEW CHIPPY WOULD PROBABLY
AGREE THAT HE WAS THE SALT OF THE EARTH.
AND MARGARET JENKINS, WHO
ALSO PASSED AWAY RECENTLY, WAS THE SALT OF THE EARTH. BETWEEN
BRINGING COMMUNION TO SHUT-INS, SERVING FUNERALS, SHUTTLING PEOPLE TO
CHURCH AND DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS AND THE GROCERY STORE, SHE SEEMED
NEVER TO THINK OF HERSELF; AND WHEN SHE GAVE YOU ONE OF HER SMILES,
YOU KNEW SHE MEANT IT.
WHEN WE HEAR JESUS' WORDS
TODAY, MAYBE WE IMAGINE THAT HE IS CALLING ON HIS FOLLOWERS TO GO OUT
AND PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL; OR TO BECOME GOOD EXAMPLES TO THE REST OF
THE WORLD. BUT NOTICE THAT HE DOES NOT SAY, “BECOME THE SALT OF
THE EARTH”. AND WHO IS HE TALKING TO? WE CAN BE PRETTY SURE THEY
WERE ILLITERATE; SOME WERE FISHERMEN, SOME WERE FARMERS, TRADESMEN –
THE PEOPLE YOU FIND IN VILLAGES AROUND THE SEA OF GALILEE. WHAT DID
JESUS LIKE ABOUT THESE PEOPLE, WHOM HE CALLED “SALT OF THE EARTH”
AND “LIGHT OF THE WORLD”?
CERTAINLY JESUS WAS
SPEAKING TO HIS APOSTLES WHO WERE THERE AMONG THE CROWD. WE DON'T
KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE APOSTLES, BUT THE ONE APOSTLE IN THE NEW
TESTAMENT WHOSE PERSONALITY COMES ACROSS MOST STRONGLY IS PETER, AND
WE KNOW PETER WASN'T PERFECT. HE MADE PROMISES HE COULDN'T KEEP, HE
SOMETIMES SEEMED TO BE A BLOCKHEAD; AFTER JESUS REVEALED TO HIM THAT
HE COULD EAT LOBSTERS AND PORK AND ALL THOSE NON-KOSHER THINGS, PETER
STILL WENT BACK TO EATING WITH JEWS WHO DIDN'T EAT WITH GENTILES.
THAT GOT HIM A LECTURE BY PAUL. AND I LOVE THE SCENE WHERE PETER,
FINDING HIMSELF THE LEADER OF THE EARLY CHURCH, HAVING BEEN
COMMISSIONED BY CHRIST, HAVING SEEN CHRIST AFTER HIS RESURRECTION,
HAVING RECEIVED THE SPIRIT AND THE POWER TO FORGIVE SINS – DOESN'T
KNOW WHAT TO DO NEXT. SO HE TELLS HIS FRIENDS, “I AM GOING
FISHING”. NOTHING LIKE HARD WORK AND FRESH AIR TO CLEAR YOUR HEAD.
MAYBE BEING THE SALT OF
THE EARTH IS TO BE YOURSELF, WARTS AND ALL. IT'S TO RECOGNIZE YOUR
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES, IT'S WHEN THE WAY YOU APPEAR TO OTHER
PEOPLE IS EXACTLY THE WAY YOU ARE. IT'S THE ABILITY TO SAY YOU ARE
SORRY WHEN YOU'VE HURT SOMEONE, AS PETER DID. IT'S BEING ABLE TO
FALL AND GET UP AGAIN WITHOUT LOOKING BACK. IT'S THE WILLINGNESS TO
SAY WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND, EVEN IF OTHER PEOPLE WILL LAUGH OR TAKE
OFFENSE. IT'S THE ABILITY TO LIVE WITH THE IDEA THAT YOU AREN'T
ESSENTIAL AND YOU AREN'T GOING TO CHANGE THE WORLD. ONE OF PETER'S
SUCCESSORS, POPE JOHN XXIII, WHO WILL BE CANONIZED THIS YEAR, SAID
THAT WHEN HE WENT TO BED, HE WOULD PRAY, “LORD, I'VE TAKEN CARE OF
YOUR CHURCH FOR ANOTHER DAY. I'M GOING TO SLEEP NOW SO YOU TAKE CARE
OF IT UNTIL TOMORROW.” HE KNEW WHO REALLY RAN THE CHURCH AND IT
WASN'T HIM. HE WAS THE SALT OF THE EARTH.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
JESUS LOOK AT THESE PEOPLE, AT LEPERS AND THE BLIND AND LAME, WOMEN
AT THE MARGINS OF SOCIETY, AND ESPECIALLY LITTLE CHILDREN, WITH GREAT
LOVE, BECAUSE IN ORDER TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHAT JESUS WAS OFFERING,
YOU HAD TO START BY BEING GENUINE, BY BEING SALT OF THE EARTH. IN
YOUR AND MY JOURNEY TO BE SAINTS, WE HAVE TO GET RID OF ANY IDEA THAT
WE CAN GET THERE ON OUR OWN. WE HAVE TO REMOVE THE MASKS WE WEAR,
WHICH WE EVENTUALLY COME TO BELIEVE IS WHO WE REALLY ARE. WE HAVE TO
BECOME, AS JESUS SAID, LIKE LITTLE CHILDREN IF WE ARE TO POSSESS THE
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. AND THERE ISN'T ANYONE MORE GENUINE THAN A LITTLE
CHILD. A LITTLE CHILD KNOWS SOMETHING THAT MOST OF US FORGET –
NONE OF US REALLY HAS ANY CONTROL OVER THE FUTURE. JESUS SAID WE
COULDN'T ADD AN HOUR TO OUR LIFE BY WORRYING ABOUT IT.
BEING THE SALT OF THE
EARTH ISN'T EVERYTHING, OF COURSE, BUT IT IS THE FIRST STEP, AND IT'S
A VERY HARD STEP TO TAKE. JESUS PRAISES THOSE WHO HAVE TAKEN THIS
STEP.
I THINK WE ALL KNOW
PEOPLE WHO ARE GENUINE, WHO ARE WHAT THEY APPEAR TO BE, PEOPLE LIKE
CHIPPY THE BARBER, MARGARET JENKINS, SAINT PETER, JOHN XXIII … THE
LIST GOES ON. AND WE KNOW WHO ISN'T GENUINE – THE PERSON WHO GETS
UPSET IF YOU ADDRESS HIM BY HIS FIRST NAME INSTEAD OF HIS TITLE. THE
PERSON WHO IS QUICK TO CRITICIZE OTHER PEOPLE; THE PERSON WHO TALKS
ABOUT HIMSELF AND HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS ALL THE TIME; THE PERSON WHO
NEEDS THE LATEST CAR OR COMPUTER OR VIDEO GAME SYSTEM IN ORDER TO BE
HAPPY – EVEN THOUGH THAT KIND OF HAPPINESS IS SHALLOW AND
TEMPORARY.
WHEN SOMEONE IS GENUINE,
THERE IS A CERTAIN BEAUTY ABOUT THEM; THEY ARE TRANSPARENT, THEY HIDE
NOTHING, THEY HAVE NO SECRETS, THEY ATTRACT. AND JESUS KNOWS THAT
HIS CHURCH WILL GROW ONLY THROUGH THAT KIND OF ATTRACTION; ALL THE
PREACHING IN THE WORLD WILL NOT WIN A SOUL. CHRISTIANS WHO LIVE
LIVES THAT MAKE OTHER PEOPLE SAY, “I WANT TO KNOW THAT PERSON
BETTER; THERE IS SOMETHING THERE THAT I NEED IN MY OWN LIFE” –
THOSE ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD, THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO WILL GROW
THE CHURCH, ONE PERSON AT A TIME.
TODAY JESUS INVITES US TO
ASK, ARE WE SALT? ARE WE LIGHT? OR DO WE STILL HAVE WORK TO DO?
