Jesus said to his disciples:
“You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father.” (Mt 5:13-16)
The world in which we live has become a very frightening place. We read accounts about Christians in many places of our world being threatened, harmed, and even killed. Many people think that it is not very safe to be a Christian. Some things never change. It was like that in the very early days of the Church as well.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus was reminding His people that they had to be busy about doing the works of the Kingdom. He was reminding them that they had been given a rich array of gifts in order to accomplish the tasks that were needed. Some of His followers, Jesus well knew, would not use their gifts. They would hoard them or hide them. The gifts — and those people — would be useless.
It is only when the gifts of God are utilized that others can see the Kingdom flourishing in their midst. It is only when the gifts of God are seen in use by others that they get the encouragement that they need to use their gifts as well.
We have to be busy about doing the works of the Lord. We must be that shining lamp in the darkness. We must be that salt for the earth. We must be the very witnesses that others need in order to feel encouraged enough to live the life of a Christian as well.
That choice cannot be made for us. We need to decide for ourselves whether we really mean it when we say that we are Christian. If we mean it, we have to do more than pay it lip service. We have to get busy and do it.
FAITH ACTION: Do something for another person today so that you can put your faith into action in a positive, meaningful way.