WE ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

A story is told of a man who saw the world as so corrupt and full of evil and in an attempt to avoid any risk of being corrupted or negatively influenced, ran into the forest and lived all by himself feeding on plants and animals. He died after a happy old age but was refused entrance into heaven. St Peter congratulated him on his effort to avoid the corrupt world but had to send him back to the same world in order to influence and change it positively rather than running away from it.

This story captures the words of Jesus in the gospel that one cannot light a lamp and put it under a bushel but on a stand so that it gives light to all in the house  (Matt 5:15). Hence, “we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth”

Observe that the two elements mentioned above (i.e. light and salt) have something in common. They have little or no impact on themselves but on others. The salt abandoned in its container has no relevance and the light put under a bushel is useless. Hence, No one is a Christian for himself alone. Our identity as a Christians becomes evident and relevant when it manifests and impacts on the lives of others. Light is meant to dispel darkness and salt is meant to boost sweetness and act as preservative.  As a matter of fact, Christians share in the blame when evil continues to thrive in our society. The implication is that their light is no longer bright enough to dispel the darkness of the sin in our world. It also implies that their salt is no longer tasty enough to preserve the Christian ethics handed on by Christ and the apostles. In other words, it means that Christians have become complicit, moral conformists, compromisers and accomplices. It was Dante Alheri who said that the hottest part of hell will be reserved for those who maintain neutrality in times of great moral crisis.

Recall that in the two occasions God wrecked havoc on earth, it were all because they lacked good men and women. (Confer the story of the flood in Genesis 6-9 and the destruction Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18-19) Christians and the Church at large are to be held responsible if the society lacks in moral probity for their light ought to always shine in the society and world. It is on this note that the prophet Isaiah in the first reading tells us how to live out our Christian identity in order to let our light shine brightly. We are to help the poor, share our bread with them, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked etc. (Is 58:7).

The Christian identity must not be hidden, it must be evident in the way one goes about his or her daily lives. The Christian should shine brightly and differ from the normal way which the society sees as normal. There ought to be a clear difference between a nurse and a Christian nurse, a policeman and a Christian policeman, a banker and a Christian banker, a bartender and a Christian bartender, a lawyer and a Christian lawyer, a trader and a Christian trader etc. When Christians allow their lights to shine without compromise, then the world will definitely be a better place. May God give us the grace to stand out.