Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Gospel of Matthew brings us to the heart of our identity. Having heard the Beatitudes, we now see Jesus look at his disciples, look at us, and say: “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world”.
Notice that Jesus does not say, “Try to become salt”, or “One day, if you work hard enough, you might be light.” He speaks in the present tense. He is describing our fundamental nature as followers of Christ. But these two metaphors, salt and light, carry a profound truth about the Christian life: they are never meant for themselves.
The Purpose of Salt and Light
Consider salt. Salt does not exist to season itself. If you have a bowl of salt sitting alone on a table, it is useless. Its entire purpose is to be poured out, to be rubbed into meat to preserve it, or stirred into a pot to give flavour. Similarly, a lamp does not shine so that it can look at its own glow. It shines to illuminate the room, to reveal the path, and to ensure that others do not stumble in the dark.
Our Christian lives are governed by this same logic of self-gift. We were not given the gift of faith simply so we could feel “saved” or “comfortable” in our own private silos. We were given the Holy Spirit so that we could have an impact on everything we touch. When salt touches food, the food changes. When light enters a room, the darkness flees. If we claim to be Christians but the world around us remains unchanged by our presence, we must ask ourselves if we have lost our “taste”.
Being Life-Givers in a Culture of Death
In our first reading from Isaiah, we are given a roadmap for how to be this salt and light. It isn’t through flashy miracles or loud proclamations. Isaiah tells us: “Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked… then your light shall break forth like the dawn”.
This is the call to be life-givers. In a world that often feels cold and indifferent, we are called to breathe life into our families, our workplaces, and our communities.
However, if we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that we often do the opposite. Sometimes, instead of being life-givers, we become life-takers. We do not need a weapon to kill someone; we can leave others “half dead” or completely drained of spirit through our words and actions.
- We take life when we use our tongues to gossip and destroy a reputation of a confrere, sister or brother.
- We take life when we withhold forgiveness and let bitterness poison a relationship in our community and family.
- We take life through our indifference, looking away when our confrere, a brother, a sister is suffering because we feel it is “none of our business”.
When we act out of ego, pride, or anger, we cease to be the salt of the earth. We become like the salt Jesus warns about: salt that has lost its flavour and is fit only to be trampled underfoot.
Saint Josephine Bakhita serves as a powerful witness of what it means to be “salt and light”. Despite enduring the horrors of slavery and extreme physical abuse, she did not allow bitterness to extinguish her spirit. Upon discovering God, she chose to become a life-giver rather than a victim of revenge, famously stating she would thank her captors for inadvertently leading her to Christ. Her life demonstrates how, through divine grace, even the most painful “bitter” experiences can be transformed into a light that offers hope and meaning to others.
The Challenge of the Modern World
As we look at the world in this year 2026, the challenge feels more daunting than ever. We live in a global culture that increasingly proposes egoisme (selfishness) over the care for the neighbour. We see a world fractured by persistent conflicts and the devastating rumors of war. We see the scourge of drugs destroying our youth, the rot of corruption weakening our institutions, and a general sense of hopelessness that leads many to lose faith and meaning in their lives.
In the face of such darkness, we might feel small. We might ask, “How can my little light make a difference against such overwhelming shadows”? It is easy to become cynical and retreat into ourselves.
The Necessity of Divine Grace
This is where we must embrace a hard but liberating truth: We cannot be the salt of the earth and the light of the world on our own. If we try to transform the world through our own will power, we will burn out. If we try to be “good people” solely through our own strength, we will eventually become resentful or exhausted. The Gospel of Saint John provides the essential key: “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
To be salt and light, we must learn to depend solely on the Grace of God. Grace is the “electricity” that allows the bulb to shine; grace is the “savor” that makes the salt salty. We are merely the conductors through which this grace flows.
When we pray, when we receive the Eucharist, and when we sit in silence before the Lord, we are “recharging”. We are asking God to pour His life into us so that it can overflow onto others. We need His help to love the unlovable, to be honest in a corrupt environment, and to keep hope alive when everyone else is giving up.
Restoring Taste and Meaning
There are people in your life right now, perhaps a confrere, a colleague, a neighbour, or even the person sitting in the pew next to you, who are losing their grip on faith. They are struggling to find meaning in their suffering or their daily toil.
God wants to use your salt to give taste to their lives. He wants to use your light to show them that they are loved and not forgotten. But this only happens when we stop living for ourselves and start living for Him.
As we approach the altar today, let us confess the times we have been “life-takers”. Let us ask the Lord to renew the flavor of our faith.
Let us pray:
Lord, I cannot do this alone. I am weak, but Your grace is sufficient. Shine through my eyes, speak through my words, and act through my hands. Make me salt that preserves what is good and light that leads others to You.
When we depend on Him, our light will not just be a flicker; it will be a beacon. And the world, seeing our good deeds, will not praise us, they will give glory to our Father who is in heaven.
Amen.
By: Leonard Katulushi, M.Afr.