(1 Kgs 17:7-16; Ps 4; Mt 5:13-16)<\/p>\n
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Have you ever heard the expression, \u201cShe or he is worth his or her salt?\u201d That saying probably comes from the value of salt as currency in the ancient world \u2013 people were sometimes paid in salt. Perhaps the word \u201cearning a salary\u201d comes from that same source.<\/p>\n
Whatever truth there may be to the above conjectures, the readings today present us with a clear truth and message \u2013 we are to be salt of earth and light of the world.<\/p>\n
It is no accident Jesus chose these two symbols to describe the qualities of a disciple. Salt is a powerful spice, adding flavor to food and acting as a preservative. It also works invisibly in whatever food on which it is sprinkled. In a similar way, a candle burns quietly, giving of itself to illuminate the darkest room, and throws off a warmth reflecting the warmth of God\u2019s love for us all. Two powerful symbols holding within themselves the impact a follower of Jesus is to have on the world.<\/p>\n
There are two specific ways we can be salt and light to the world \u2013 by our faith, and by our actions.<\/p>\n
The first reading provides us with an almost unbelievable model of faith \u2013 that of the poor widow of Zeraphath. Driven to destitution by drought and down to the last morsel of food she was preparing before she and her child would die of starvation, when asked for that food by the prophet Elijah, her faith in God\u2019s providence, and her ability to love a neighbor as herself (Leviticus 19:18) was so strong, she gave him that last bit of food. Her faith was rewarded, as the \u201cjar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail.\u201d Would that we had her faith!<\/p>\n
Psalm 4 invites us to persevere in prayer: Even when we are disturbed, and when we are crying out to God to hear our prayer, we are \u201cnot to sin, but rather ponder the word of the Lord on our beds and be silent.\u201d This speaks of the experience of the apparent absence of God in our lives Jesus experienced on the cross: \u201cMy God, why have you forsaken me?\u201d That experience is given to those whose faith is strong \u2013 like St. Mother Theresa who experienced only dryness and a lack of any consolation in her prayer life from the time she began her ministry in Calcutta to her death.<\/p>\n
Our faith is not as strong as hers, so we will get only small doses of that experience of desolation. In fact, that is what we ask for in the Our Father<\/em> when we pray \u201cLead us not into temptation.\u201d The better translation of that is \u201cDo not put us to the test\u201d \u2013 the test being precisely that experience of the apparent absence of God in our lives.<\/p>\n The other way we can be salt and light to the world is through our action, good works and ministry. We are to use our God-given gifts and talents to make the world a better place. This is our generative discipleship, and we should not be shy or hesitant to do so.<\/p>\n
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