5th Sunday of Ordinary Time

02-09-2020Weekly Reflection©2020 Liturgical Publications, Inc.

What does it mean to be salt and light? If we listen carefully to Jesus' words, we gain some direction. To be salt means to bring taste, zest, and joy to life. We are asked to liven things up a bit by allowing the joy of our faith to spill over into the lives of others. Only a sincere and deep relationship with God can freshen up humanity and set it on proper course. To be light means that our faith must translate into action so that we can be Christ for others and extend the same arm of mercy and compassion that Christ did. Our acts of piety, then, cannot be directed solely at ourselves. Prayer is never about self-benefit but must always be directed toward union with God, deepening our relationships with one another and learning how to be effective stewards of the beautiful universe God has entrusted to our care.

The Master gives us wise direction in terms of how we can best become the salt and light he desires. Listen carefully to the Beatitudes. Think about the oppression and alienation that exists in our world, the violence and prejudice, the anger and the hatred, the fear and the shame. All of these things require action. The poor need food, housing, and clothes. Hatred must be re- placed by love. Retaliation and violence by forgiveness. Our thoughts and speech can become more like Christ. We can change and continue to change. Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman said, "To live is to change and to be perfect is to have changed often."

But it doesn't end with just offering the bandages needed to heal wounds. It must go deeper . We must ask our selves what has happened that we have found ourselves in this place with these wounds and divisions. What are their causes? Together we must address these systemic problems, politically and spiritually, and face the truth. Only then will we truly be salt and light. But then again, we may not like what the light shows us.

Ni siquiera nos podemos imaginar el mundo sin sal y sin luz; ambos son impor tantes par a la vida humana. La sal da sabor a la comida y la luz incrementa la visibilidad. Por esta razón, nuestro compromiso al discipulado cristiano por medio del bautismo debe de dar sabor y luz al estilo de Cristo. El discipulado siempre debe de llevar al discernimiento del cómo se relaciona la persona con Dios y con los demás. En las lecturas, especialmente el Evangelio, Jesús dice claramente que si la sal pierde su sabor no sirve para nada. Advierte claramente a sus discípulos con la siguiente catequesis: "Ustedes son la sal de la tierra. Si la sal se vuelve insípida, ¿cómo se le devolverá el sabor? Ya no sirve para nada y se tira a la calle para que la pise la gente." (Mateo 5:13). Enseguida, también dice: "Ustedes son la luz del mundo." (Mateo 13:14). ¡Vaya compromiso el que se tiene al ser discípulo de Jesús!

Ahora, la pregunta es: ¿Qué clase de sabor doy? Soy persona amargada, egoísta que donde me presento cambia el ambiente y la conversación por la ne gatividad que perciben los demás en mí o por el contario, soy sal y luz en la familia, trabajo y comunidad. No se debe de olvidar que Cristo es la sal y la luz para todos. "'Parece poca cosa' pero el Señor 'con pocas cosas nuestras hace milagros, hace maravillas' por lo tanto, es necesario tener esta actitud de 'humildad' que consiste en buscar solamente ser sal y luz." (Papa Francisco). Pero, ojo, no se puede ser sal y luz sin relación personal con Cristo que es sal y luz en mí.