Homily for 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Our reading this morning is dominated by two images or symbols: light and salt- 'you are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world'. The image and symbol of light is self explanatory. Salt as a symbol is more obscure. Yet salt has, since the beginnings of Christianity, a place in Christian ritual and some sacraments. Salt is still used in the blessing of holy water, for example, and it was up to relatively recent times used in the baptismal ceremony itself. In the days before the discovery of refrigeration, it was very central to life. It was the only way people had of preserving food over a period of time. Salt is perceived by society as healthy. When an individual is described as "the salt of the earth" I presume the compliment is lifted straight from the gospels. It denotes one who is devoid of pretension, reliable and generally an influence for the good in society. We use salt also to make food tasty and interesting, to banish blandness and tastelessness. Just as salt acts both as a preservative and to make food interesting, so does Christianity lends flavour to life by helping people to live correctly, keeping society wholesome.
The symbol of light is obvious. His first act of creation was to say, 'Let there be light'. Darkness denotes disorder and chaos, light brings order and harmony. The prophet Isaiah tells his listeners how they should behave as a light to the world: "Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the homeless poor, clothe the man your see to be naked and turn not from your won kin. Then will your light shine like the dawn and your wound will be quickly healed."
Today's gospel is directed at ordinary people. They are to function in society as light and salt. Christ has placed his gospel into our hands and it depends on us whether or not it is proclaimed. His message is seen for what it is when we put it into practice in our lives. Truly good people who take their Christianity seriously may be quite unaware of the effect they have on others, but their influence does not go unnoticed. There is a warmth and attractiveness about those whose good deeds and actions reflect the image of Jesus, the light of the world. The presence of a genuine Christ-like character enriches the entire community and brings out the best in others.
We can celebrate the presence of God at home and at work without going out of our way to do anything exceptional. It is evident in ordinary things, like caring for a sick neighbour or caring for a parent who is old or infirm, or indeed selfless dedication to one's partner and children. The Pope has a negative image in the western world because of some of his trenchant views on sexuality, marriage and women priests. But his views are not confined to these topics. For example he has written extensively on cultural trends. In this area he has proved to be an angry, intelligent, incorruptible prophet, an Old Testament figure almost who is not afraid to adopt unpopular stances. In fact he seems to enjoy taking a contrary point of view. And he has spoken regularly about the transformation of culture by ordinary men and woman. By culture he would mean the environment in which we live. When the Christian gospel is lived out by ordinary people, selfish trends in a culture will be challenged, not by preaching but by example.
The other side of the coin is of course the infectious nature of darkness. We know from experience that when a particularly evil deed is perpetrated on a community, a sadness descends upon that community like a dark, depressing pall. We saw it recently in the killing of that young boy in east Cork: a whole community is plunged into darkness through one individual act of madness. But darkness can be brought about in a less dramatic manner in our own lives. It is brought about in a community by jealousy, spite, bitterness and the settling of old scores. This darkness is dispelled and a legacy of shadows lifted when Christ is reflected by neighbours forgiving one another and acting as servants of each other, a disposition of unremarkable service expressed by Wordsworth in his famous lines: "These little nameless unremembered acts of kindness and of love.". Such acts of service create an environment where Christ can be known, loved and cherished. These and similar good works are the salt which gives flavour and sparkle to daily life and lets the light of Christ shine forth for all to see.