Fifth Sunday in ordinary time, cycle A. Today’s readings: Isaiah 58:7-10; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 5:13-16
Although the word ‘influencer’ has been around for centuries, it is only during the last decade or so that it attained its current meaning: social media celebrities who use their status to market consumer goods or services to their online followers. Yet today’s gospel makes it clear that Christians are also called to be influencers; not to peddle products for personal gain, obviously, but to witness to Christ’s presence and power in their lives.
In order to drive this message home to his disciples, Jesus employs two realities that we often take for granted, but which are most noticeable when absent: salt and light.
Salt is so ubiquitous in our kitchens and on our dining tables that we often fail to consider how precious it was in the ancient world where it wasn’t only used to enhance the flavour of meals, but also to preserve food. Pope Francis explains how this image applies to Christians: “The disciple is therefore called to keep society far from the dangers, the corrosive germs which pollute the life of people. It is a question of resisting moral degradation, sin, bearing witness to the values of honesty and fraternity, not giving in to worldly flattery of careerism, of power, of wealth.”
This mission of preservation inevitably courts opposition since a secularist society tends to view any involvement by committed Christians as an exertion of undue influence. Yet at the risk of being dubbed a ‘melħa’ (the Maltese word normally employed for an interfering person) the disciple must persevere in giving testimony.
The second image invoked by Jesus is perhaps even more meaningful for us. Whereas the absence of salt may not strike us as something catastrophic (a bland meal, at worst!), the lack of light is something we can all relate to. Darkness, even for many grown-ups, evokes primal fears of vulnerability and danger: the dread of losing one’s way; the terror of pitfalls and predators; the nightmare of monsters under the bed.
Faced with darkness, Christians turn on the light; they become the light.
Pope Francis reminds us, however, that we can only be light for the world by reflecting the original light, Christ himself: “Jesus is the light that has dispelled the darkness, but it still remains in the world and in individuals. It is the task of Christians to disperse it by radiating the light of Christ and proclaiming his Gospel. It is a radiance that can also come from our words, but it must flow, above all, from our good works. A disciple and a Christian community are light in the world when they direct others to God, helping each one to experience his goodness and his mercy.”
C.S. Lewis said it best when he wrote: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen; not only because I see it but because by it, I see everything else.”
A note of caution, however: the disciple must always offer the world the beneficial effects of salt and light with humility and moderation. The salt should not overpower the flavour of the dish; the light should not blind those who seek to see by it. Regrettably, in their dealings with the world, some Christians make such a show of their ‘saltiness’ that they resemble a certain celebrity chef whose manner of sprinkling salt on overpriced steaks has become his signature move.
The disciple must always offer the world the beneficial effects of salt and light with humility and moderation
In today’s second reading, St Paul reminds us of the correct approach to evangelisation: a proclamation of the mystery of God that relies not on overwhelming philosophical arguments, but in sharing “Jesus Christ, and him crucified”, not with force and intimidation, but “in weakness and fear and much trembling”.
bgatt@maltachurchtribunals.org