Jesus told the disciples and us that we are the salt for the world, and we are the light for the world. It was a comment about the disciples and our own current state, as much as it was, a commandment too.
But where we might get confused is, His message is not, and never has been, about what we do.
Our first old testament reading does list all the things we should be doing. Like commandments they are put forth as one action after another like a “to do” list for the faithful. … But did you see in the Gospel, that’s not how it was laid out. Jesus begins right off and says you are the salt and you are the light. The to do list is missing because while Jesus didn’t come to abolish the old, he came to give us a different way.
Jesus gave us new commandments, remember? New commandments that make the ten commandments a given. He told us to love God above all else, with all our heart, mind and strength and to love others as we love ourselves.
And if we truly do this, feeding the hungry is automatic.
Clothing the naked and giving to those in need just part of our day.
We don’t have to think about it or consider the amount or even concern ourselves with who is worthy or not.
We don’t need to ask which worthy cause to give to or which one of our neighbors needs help the most.
We don’t need to ask ourselves how much to tithe.
Because those are only concerns for people who are still trying to follow the old law and old way. Trying to follow a to do list instead of listening to Jesus Christ.
[slow down]
The new commandments and the new way and the light and salt Jesus referred to, and labeled us as by the way, is about being more than doing. After all we are not human doings, we are human beings
[pause]
Think about it. Salt doesn’t have to do anything. By just being with other food the other food is better, and when people are the salt of the earth, people are changed for the better too.
Light doesn’t do anything as much as it’s mere presence changes everything. When light is present, darkness is banished and driven out.
We are the salt the world needs to heal the world’s brokenness. To help others see that truth is real, and God’s love is real. And we need to be light to help others turn away from the darkness by shining the light of Christ so brightly the evil one will be seeing spots and lose his grip.
You see to be salt for the world and light for others means we reflect the light of Christ. Not our own.
It is just the opposite of what the world says.
The evil one has convinced us through celebrities, power mongers, and sports figures that their light should shine the brightest.
Their message is that they are the center of the universe and we should pay attention to them. Pay attention as they feed us their false theology. Pay attention as they amass wealth and power and notoriety. As they jet across the globe. As they abuse their power. As they do the shimmy, shimmy shake at the half time show. Scandalizing anyone with daughters and wives and mothers they love.
The message of the world is if you are rich enough and known by more people enough then you transcend all that religious stuff. You get to make the rules and each year the rich get richer. The entertainment gets more obscene. Family values suffer. And society suffers. All the while folks are glued to the TV at night watching the light and life of celebrities and the rich and famous.
[pause]
Here is the secret they do not understand.
A celebrity, a person who promotes his life and light above others so they can be worshiped cannot be a light reflecting Christ. Because a person who is salt of the earth and light of Christ must allow Christ light to be the brightest.
The saints lived reflecting Christ for others.
The saints I know in my life reflect the light of Christ. They do not seek to shine for themselves.
We live in a broken world that has much darkness. For those we love, who are lost in it, they need to see Christ reflected in someone to find their way. They don’t need to be beat up with a Bible. They just need salt beside them and a light with them.
The first person I knew that was salt for the earth was Zane Briggs. He was a shipmate of mine when I served the US Navy. He was a quiet imposing man. A body builder and a biker who had a long red beard. He lived reflecting Christ though and everyone around him was drawn to the light.
He was salt for us. He made us better by being with us.
But the message today is that Christ calls each of us and commands each of us to be salt for those around us. To be a light reflecting his light as a beacon in the darkness of a broken world.
Each of us has a mission from God. Father Albear says we all have our own message of God’s to give. I can see that too. I don’t know my own yet. I am still praying about it. But I know my wife’s message, it is to be a woman of God’s joy so that others will remember that God wants joy in their life.
Some of you have shown me your message. I know one who teaches me perseverance is required for ministry. Another patience and prayer will result in blessings.
Ask God today what your mission of salt and light is like. What can you do today to be more light for you children or coworkers?
How can you be a better reflection of Christ so others are drawn from the darkness? Maybe Father Albear was right and we each have our own way and message. I don’t know.
But I do know that the only way the world is going to get better. The only way we will see truth reign over falsehoods. The only way that our city, marketplace or even family will grow and be better is if we decide to stop promoting our light, stop pointing to the lights the world tells us are true, and start reflecting the light of Christ.
The truth is, people fall into two categories. They are either reflecting the light of Christ or they are part of the plan of the evil one promoting darkness.
We think we can stand somewhere in the middle. Leave this light and salt business to the priest and deacons and ministers but it is not true. It is one of the first lies of the evil one.
When we were baptized, we were brought into the kingdom of God. Jesus claimed us as one of his and took us from the grasp of the evil one.
Who we are today depends on who we are listening to today.
Which light are we focusing on. It’s a yes or no thing. There are no sort ofs. We are either all in for Jesus Christ and working to shine his light for others or we are at some stage of being pulled away into darkness ourselves. Listening to lies about how it doesn’t matter since we are basically good people. It has Lucifer’s signature all over it.
The fact is the world doesn’t suffer as much from evil men as it does from good men who hide the light of Christ at church instead of shining it in the world.
Jesus tells us we are the salt for the world and the light to guide others out of darkness. And we all have loved ones struggling in darkness. Today we get to choose if we will help them. Will we be just another person lost in the bright lights of the world or will we be the light of Christ so they see the true light, the truth and the love of ChristU
Deacon Tony Pynes 
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