Sunday reflections Sunday, February 5, 2017: Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A Theme: Salt to the Earth and Light to the World In a world characterised by individualism, egocentrism and materialistic consumerism, weak social bonds, abandoning the weakest and considering some as useless, Pope Francis insists, “The many situations of inequality, poverty and injustice, are signs not only of a profound lack of fraternity, but also of the absence of a culture of solidarity”. (2014 World Day for Peace Message, Fraternity, the Foundation and Pathway to Peace.) This reminds us of the concluding prayer Pope John Paul II used in the Encyclical Sollicitudo rei socialis – “On Social Concern” (1987) : “Father, you have given all peoples one common origin, and your will is to gather them as one family in yourself. Fill the hearts of all with the fire of your love, and the desire to ensure justice for all their brothers and sisters. By sharing the good things you give us. May we secure justice and equality for every human being, end all division and build a human society on love and peace.” These and many other Church’s social teachings show how today’s first reading is applied. As Christians we are challenged to cultivate a solidarity culture. For our Christian light to shine in the World today, for our prayers to be heard, Isaiah does not mince words in insisting that we must help the poor. In the face of suffering in the world, several world summits have been organised in very comfortable areas and many philosophies and sophistries have been made. After such meetings, statistics on the number of poor people in the world are given. These do not solve the problems because the poor are getting poorer every day. Like Paul in the Second Reading, solidarity with the poor should not end with an oratory or a philosophy. Christ reminds us of a fundamental truth; we should be the salt to the earth and the light of the world. Our presence in the world must bring hope and a chance for others to see goodness and notice love; a love many may have been longing for but had not been able to see. Salt had two purposes in the Middle East of the first century. Because of the lack of refrigeration, salt was used to preserve food, especially meat which got bad quickly in a hot environment. Believers in Christ therefore preserve the world from the evil inherent in a society of ungodly men whose unredeemed nature sin has corrupted. Second, salt was used, as now, as a flavour enhancer. In the same way that salt enhances the flavour of the food it seasons, the followers of Christ “enhance” the flavour of life in this world. Light dispels darkness. Therefore, the presence of light in darkness is something unmistakable. The presence of Christians in the world must be like light in the darkness, not only in the sense that the truth of God’s Word brings light to the darkened hearts of sinful man (John 1:1-10), but also in that our good deeds must be evident for all to see. We cannot be salt and light and be blind to those suffering around us. It is only when we remain focused on Christ and obey Him that we can remain the salt and light of the world. Fr. Jude Thaddeus Langeh, cmf Please pray for me
