"Oh, come on, " you might say. "That's a fantasy. I lead a very simple, ordinary life. I hold down a not-so-great job. During an ordinary week I can lose my temper or my patience or my optimism at least once a day. Often, I feel like a helpless cog in a wheel. ESSENTIAL? I'm a nonentity! A nobody!"
But Jesus, Son of God and Son of Mary doesn't think so. Jesus told his followers - and that means you and me -
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:13-16)
Notice that Jesus doesn't say "You can be." He says, "You ARE." You are essential for the continuing existence and growth of the earth, of the world. You are made in God's Image and Likeness, and God is Trinity - and Trinity is all about Relationship. Three distinct Persons live and love so deeply that they are One. They exist for, with, and in each other in a dynamic flow of Love. So too we human beings, made in God's Image, are all about relationship. We need each other and depend on each other to reach our own full potential and for this world to reach its unique potential. We literally need each other for life, as individuals, families cities, states, and nations. So Jesus says - You are Salt OF THE EARTH. You are Light OF THE WORLD. You live in God; God lives in you; you are part of the dance and flow of the relationship of the Trinity. Carry the Trinity's flow of Love into all your relationships. Work to bring unity, oneness.
Salt seems to be very ordinary. But it isn't. Salt is ESSENTIAL for life.
"Take Five For Faith" (June 12) tells us:
"Salt is such an ordinary, inexpensive, and easily found substance in most cases nowadays that you can fail to fully grasp the profound meaning of Jesus’ famous metaphor. Consider these facts. Once known as “white gold,” salt is necessary for human life. It preserves, purifies, and enhances the flavor of food. It made civilization possible. Wars have been waged over supplies of salt; it has been taxed, hoarded, traded, and used as currency; and it helped galvanize Mohandas Gandhi’s nonviolent movement for India’s independence from Britain. When Jesus compares his disciples to salt of the earth, he is really saying: “Your life and presence matter. In fact, you are more than valuable—you are essential.”
Salt is essential for our bodily life. The human body can't live without some sodium. It's needed to transmit nerve impulses, contract and relax muscle fibers (including those in the heart and blood vessels), and maintain a proper fluid balance.
You may be ordinary in your own eyes, but if you allow God to shake up your life, He picks you up like a salt cellar and sprinkles the salt of your unique personality and gifts over your family, friends, and various communities you belong to as an essential ingredient. Your words and actions are an essential component of so many different relationships. In your family, your presence can preserve the peace among arguing relatives, or give zest and enthusiasm as you plan family activities. You also can preserve the peace between people with different perspectives during group planning sessions. Your salty honesty can bring out the truth no-one wants to acknowledge, help to purify a group's motivations, and give perspective on challenging situations. Only your "brand" of salt can bring an earthy realism and holiness which preserves the life of the Body of Christ! You are necessary for the communication and balance between the people in your life, the ones whom you're committed to, whom you love with fidelity as God loves you with fidelity.
Light is likewise essential for life.
Light kick-starts food chains, both on land and in the sea. It acts as a catalyst during photosynthesis in plants, and it provides sustenance for the survival of plankton in the oceans. Both these forms of herbal life go on to provide nutrition to many species, including human beings. Light is the most important tool of guidance. Humans need light to see and go about daily activities. The invention of fire was man's attempt to substitute the light of the day while he fights the darkness of the night. Today, technological advancements allow people to exploit other beneficial uses of light such as solar power. The light from the sun is used to power many different devices around the world.The power of light also fuels human spirituality. Light has long been man's companion during times of meditation and prayer. Light is a means of communication. Beacons, lasers, reflective devices and flashlights of various types prove useful in the conveyance of messages. Light is part of daily life, and it is impossible to live without it.
Light is essential for life, for sight, for communication. How could anything be accomplished if we all had to wander around in the dark? If you have been illuminated by the Light of the Gospel, by the Light of God's Face, then God's Presence in you is positively electric! You are a holy Lightbulb, lit up by God's Light within you to give the light of Wisdom and Understanding and Guidance and Spirituality to the people around you. You can speak with the penetrating power of a laser of God's Message of justice for all people, but especially those whom society considers unimportant and "not useful." You can be on fire with love, like a torch, to warm others with your smile, your hugs and kisses, your reaching out to the lonely and marginalized with active works of mercy. You can be on fire to campaign for legislation which can positively affect people you don't even know who are nonetheless our sisters and brothers through our same Father. If you are alive with the Sunlight of God, you have divine solar power to affect others positively, power you've only begun to use, power to literally bring your family and the communities you serve, to life.
Sure, we all make mistakes. We have misunderstandings. Friendships and communities can break apart for awhile because of personal, religious, or political differences. But God is always at work to mend relationships, to reunite shattered friendships, families, communities, and nations. In the Book of Acts, we read about St. Paul and St. Barnabas. They were fast friends and ministered together for a long time - until they had a terrible argument about the young man Mark. Paul thought he was too immature to be a working disciple. Barnabas defended Mark because he saw his potential. The men separated in anger, going in different directions.
These great saints Paul and Barnabas had argued, had taken different sides, but God stayed with both of them. God supported and blessed their separate ministries to build up the Kingdom, the Holy Community of God. With Barnabas' and St. Peter's mentoring, Mark became a great leader - and some say he was the author of the Gospel of Mark. Years later, close to the time of Paul's death in Rome, the three men reconciled. During his final imprisonment, Paul instructed Timothy to bring Mark with him when he came to Rome, for, says Paul, “he is useful to me” (2 Tim. 4:11). The past was forgotten. Mark had redeemed himself in Paul's eyes.
Allow this Truth to penetrate into the depths of your being: You are ESSENTIAL, because God has created you and Jesus has called you to be Salt and Light for the world. And salt and light are essential for life! You are made in God's Image, and God is Trinity, Relationship, as all we human beings are designed to live in relationships. We need one another! We influence one another! This planet itself needs all the beings on it to work in unity for its continued existence.
If you live united with God, the powerful Relationship-Life-Love of the Trinity flows through you so that you are empowered to keep building relationships all around you. God is depending on you to work in partnership with Him and with all members of His Mystical Body to positively build up relationships among all people, all forms of life, the planet itself. Everyone and everything on this earth needs God's new life, peace, justice, love, and above all else hope. If you are "down,' despairing, lukewarm, walk straight into the fiery Sunlight of God's Love to reignite your fiery Light. If you feel listless, if you are not facing Truth, allow your soul to be purified and cleansed by the Saltiness of God's Spirit of Truth so that you regain your flavor and zest. God needs you - right here, right now, right where you are. Be filled with joy, because God loves you and you are ESSENTIAL for the eternal Life of this world!