Tuesday, June 9, 2026

 

Tuesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

(II Kings7:7-16; Matthew 5:13-16)

As the United States celebrates its semiquincentennial, its citizens will recall a famous sermon preached by John Winthrop, the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.  In 1630, Winthrop told a shipfull of Puritan colonists that they would be like “a city on a hill” of which the world would take notice.  He exhorted the people to reflect the decency and justice which their faith espoused. The analogy was taken from today’s gospel passage.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus coins the expression “a city on a hill.”  He means, of course, that his disciples should lead exemplary lives of virtue.  He himself is the lamp to be reflected by every household as a guide for all the world.  Living as he teaches, they would make of the earth the forerunner of God’s Kingdom.

The United States is not a Christian nation.  It is composed of adherents to many different religious traditions and of people without faith.  Yet its founding principles are largely in line with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  It has always advocated the primacy of law, the virtue of charity, the value of freedom, and (yes) the necessity of belief in God.  It has been “a city on a hill” that has not only guided many to its shores but has served as a model for other nations.

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

 

Tuesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

(II Corinthians 1:18-22; Matthew 5:13-16)

Jesus’ exhortation in today’s gospel recalls St. John of the Cross’ warning about memory.  The author of the Dark Night of the Soul recognized how memory of one’s accomplishments can interfere with God’s taking possession of one’s mind.  Although the memories may have an overall positive effect, the person will not experience the awesome wonder of a divine encounter.

Jesus likewise warns his disciples of the danger of losing their virtue.  Watching television for hours can dull a person’s desire to exert her or himself on behalf of others.  Lying to make another feel good can deteriorate one’s regard for the truth.  Jesus is calling his disciple to service of the Kingdom.  They will be of no more use than salt which has become insipid or a lamp whose bulb has burnt out.

Disciples are not backsliders.   They keep growing in virtue so that others may be blessed and God may be praised.  We should pray to be better women and men and then should discipline ourselves so that we might move with the Holy Spirit.

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Tuesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

(I Kings 17:7-16; Matthew 5:13-16)

According to social philosopher David Brooks people like to think of themselves as good.  Yet they find themselves, as always, giving in to selfishness and other vices.  How do they live with the contradiction?  They mix and match trying to keep themselves on the positive side of the moral ledger.  For example, they may cheat on their income tax by saying that everybody does it.  At the same time they may give fifty dollars to the Peter’s Pence collection.  Such moral calculus hardly approaches what Jesus has in mind in the gospel today.

Jesus wants his disciples to be perfect.  They are to give good example and, indeed, attract others by their moral rectitude.  In fact, they are to live in such exemplary ways that their neighbors will thank God for having them in their midst. 

We should never justify immoral acts by saying that everyone does them.  The statement is false and in any case does not live up to Jesus’ expectations.  Some moralists criticize using as a guide to good behavior, “What would Jesus do?”  Perhaps it is difficult to extrapolate Jesus’ actions to modern society.  But we can certainly ask, “What does Jesus want us to do?”  We hear him telling us in the gospel today to act as a model for everyone to follow.

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Tuesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

(I Kings 17:7-16; Matthew 5:13-16)

People like to think of themselves as good.  Yet they find themselves giving in to selfishness and other vices.  How can they live with the contradiction?  They mix and match self-perceptions and actions in the endeavor to keep themselves on the positive side of the moral ledger.  For example, a man may try to justify looking at pornography by buying his wife a bouquet of roses on their anniversary.  Such deceptive bookkeeping hardly approaches what Jesus has in mind in the gospel today.

Jesus wants his disciples to shine with goodness.  They are to be as common as salt by mixing among others.  And they are to be as helpful as light showing the way to moral righteousness.  Indeed, they are to live in such exemplary ways that their neighbors will thank God for having them in their midst. 

We should never justify an immoral act by saying, “Everyone does it.”  The statement is patently false; everyone does not look at pornography or take a bribe when offered.  In any case such actions do not meet Jesus’ expectations of us.  As his disciples Jesus is calling us to give perfect example to all those whom we encounter.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Tuesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

(II Corinthians 1:18-22; Matthew 5:13-16)

Former Peace Corps volunteers remember the time they visited an Iban family in upriver Sarawak.  Knowing that the people lacked food supplies, they gave them some canned foods that they brought along.  They were served back to them.  When they asked what the people ate with their rice, they were told “salt.”  They left amazed at how generous these simple people were.  The Ibans seemed like Jesus’ disciples, “the salt of the earth.”

Jesus calls his disciples “salt” because they are to make life savory for others.  They are not to live for themselves but to spread the joy of the gospel.  They engage others in conversation as a means to acknowledge the other’s humanity.  Their goal is not to convert others to Jesus but to love them.  If they lose this saltiness by becoming self-centered and arrogant, they render themselves as unfit for the kingdom of God.

Some of us to our peril might reject the idea of being considered something as common as salt. We would like to think of ourselves at least as sweet as sugar if not as exotic as an oriental spice.  But humility and respect for all wins friends for Jesus and promotes us in God’s eyes.   To be “the salt of the earth” is a worthy aspiration for anyone.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Tuesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

(I king 17:7-16; Matthew 5:13-16)

According to social philosopher David Brooks people today like to think of themselves as good. Yet they find themselves, as always, giving in to selfishness and other vices. How do they live with the contradiction? They mix and match trying to keep themselves on the positive side of the moral ledger. For example, they may justify taking $20 they see lying on the floor but turn in a wallet with $100 by saying that the $100 obviously belonged to somebody. Such moral calculus hardly approaches what Jesus has in mind in the gospel today.

Jesus wants his disciples to be perfect. They are to give good example and, indeed, attract others by their moral rectitude. In fact, they are to live in such exemplary ways that their neighbors will thank God for having them in their midst.

We should never justify immoral acts by saying that everyone does them. The statement is false and in any case does not live up to Jesus’ expectations. Some moralists criticize using as a guide to good behavior, “What would Jesus do?” Perhaps it is difficult to extrapolate Jesus’ actions in modern society. But we can certainly ask, “What does Jesus want us to do?” We hear him telling us in the gospel today to act as a model for everyone to follow.

Homilette for Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Tuesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

(II Corinthians 1:18-22; Matthew 5:13-16)

In 1930 Mahatma Gandhi mobilized the Indian subcontinent to demand independence. His tactic called for a protest on the salt tax. Salt is called “the poor person’s spice” because it is everywhere available and enhances the taste of most foods. The salt tax forbade the producing or selling of salt by anyone except the British government. Organizing a march to the sea where salt was to be collected, Gandhi made all the people realize that England had no right to claim sovereignty over their land.

When Jesus calls his disciples “the salt of the earth,” he -- like Gandhi organizing the salt march -- has no mean objective in mind. Rather, he is encouraging his disciples to help lift everyone’s burden by their solicitation. Joyful because as God’s children their destination is heaven, they are to invite the world on their journey. Likewise as light, the disciples are to draw attention to themselves so that everyone will emulate their righteous conduct.

Unfortunately many Christians today doubt their standing as salt and light. They see other ways of living and recognize their own as different not qualitatively better. We should not be so reserved. True, we must examine our motives and correct our faults, but we should also realize that the gospel implicitly followed will fulfill the deepest longings of every human heart.