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.

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.