FIFTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
Salt had a number of purposes in the Middle East
of the first century. In a land without refrigeration
it was used to preserve food and as a flavour
enhancer. It was used to prevent erosion in the
roofs of houses and Roman soldiers were paid in
salt. The word salary is derived from the word for
salt. If a soldier did not do his work, he would
not get all his salt. Hence, we use the phrase ‘he
is not worth his salt’ if someone does not do his
work properly. The people who gathered around
Jesus on that little hill in Palestine would have
understood all this. His image was striking; His
message was clear. His followers are charged with
the task of bringing the flavour of life to others,
preserving His truth on increasingly alien soil
and transforming the world’s culture, rather than
conforming to it.
The image of light speaks to all cultures and all
ages. Light is not a private energy. It is meant to
be shared. It dispels darkness and it attracts. It
guides and it warns. The life of the disciple should
reflect the Light of Jesus to the world. It should
evoke curiosity in others. It should move them to
take a ‘second look’. Nothing points to God more
clearly than the witness of a disciple doing good. A
Chinese Christian approached a missionary once
and proceeded to quote the Sermon on the Mount
word for word from beginning to end. ‘How did
you manage to do that’ enquired the missionary. ‘I
spent the last year trying to live it’ replied the man.
‘In the world’s nights the Christian witness brings
God’s dawn’. (Pope Francis)
