Jesus said to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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There was a strange practice in some of the early Christian churches.
If someone was expelled because of a moral issue, or if the person left the faith willingly, before being accepted back into the community, they would lie at the door of the church, saying, “Trample upon me who was the salt which lost its flavor.”
Such a humbling practice – being trampled upon – was derived from Jesus words in today’s Gospel. “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt loses its taste, it is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”
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People loved salt for three reasons: its purity, its antiseptic quality, and its taste.
Christians must be similar: pure in mind, body, and heart. If we participate in any form of impurity, then how will we spread the faith? Our actions speak louder than our words.
Salt is also antiseptic. It keeps meat from going bad. Similarly, we’re called to preserve the good in people, uplifting their spirits.
Salt also gives flavor, making everything taste better! Similarly, Christians are called to spread love and joy, brightening people’s days. Depressed disciples lose their taste, making the Gospel seem unappealing.
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You and I are called to be the salt of the earth: living pure lives, bringing out the good in others, and spreading joy.
What does it look like for me to be a salty Christian today?
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Image credits: (1) Waverly Church of Christ (2) Funny Christian Notebook, Amazon (3) Christian Pictures Blog
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst.” There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.” And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately Blood and water flowed out.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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The death of Jesus initiates the only three days in the bible where God seems absent… nowhere to be found.
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In the beginning – in the Garden of Eden – God walked with Adam and Eve. There was an intimacy between them.
Even after Adam and Eve disobeyed the Lord and were cast out of paradise, God spoke to his people through the prophets; he led Israel out of the desert by a cloud; and finally, he came to us in the flesh of Jesus Christ.
But all of a sudden, Jesus is dead.
Imagine his body locked away in a dark and dusty tomb.
Who will now speak on the Lord’s behalf?
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“Behold your mother,” he says from the Cross.
Behold Mary, the Mother of the Church.
Mary knew Jesus better than anyone; she was always faithful to him; and she was the only person with Jesus from the womb to the tomb.
In Christ’s absence, the disciples were told to turn to Mary.
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Shouldn’t we do the same?
“Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in the midst of them,” Jesus says (Matthew 18:20).
So, when we pray to the Lord in private – conversing with him in the depths of our heart – begin and end the prayer with Mary. She will ensure Christ makes his dwelling among us.
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For our needs and the needs of our Church, we turn to our Mother, praying:
Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, amen.
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Image credits: (1) Dominican Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary (2) The Icon of Unfallen Suffering (3) Franz Schubert, Ave Maria
Jesus said to his disciples: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.
“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Those who do not love me do not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.
“I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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One day, a little boy asked his father, “Dad, where can I find God? I’ve looked everywhere – under my bed, in my closet, in my desk at school – I can’t find him.”
So, the father told his son a tale, “My boy,” he said, “one day the devil was speaking with his helpers.” He asked them, “Where can we hide God?”
One of the helpers replied, “Let’s hide God on the highest mountain!”
Another replied, “Let’s hide God at the bottom of the see.”
A third said, “No, let’s hide God within each person. They will never look for him there.”
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Today we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles like a gusty wind with tongues of fire.
The Spirit energized their lives – and their mission – forever.
Prior to Pentecost, the Apostles were timid and afraid. The fact that Jesus was raised from the dead and appeared to them multiple times was not enough.
At first, they remained hidden in an upper room in Jerusalem, fearful that the same crowds who wanted Jesus crucified would also want them dead.
Even after they re-entered Jerusalem, Peter tried returning to his former way of life. Remember his discouraging words to his friends: “I’m going fishing.”
Not, “Jesus has been raised from the dead!” But, “I’m going fishing…back to the shores of Galilee…back to my former way of life, as if this all never happened.”
Peter needed Pentecost. He needed the Holy Spirit.
Once the Spirit descended upon him and the others, their reluctance was transformed into commitment. Boldly, they went out to convert the world.
This abrupt change in Peter’s behavior becomes one of the earliest arguments for the proof of the resurrection. How else can you explain his immediate transformation unless he saw the Risen Christ and was filled with the Holy Spirit?
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We can make a similar argument about Saint Paul.
Prior to his conversion, Paul persecuted Christians. He jailed them, beat them, and even had them killed. Suddenly the Risen Christ appears to him, and Paul’s life is changed forever. He’s baptized, filled with the Holy Spirit, and then sent out on mission.
Throughout his ministry, Paul was beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, abandoned, and left for dead. Still, he never gave up. He never retreated. Even in the midst of great suffering and pain, he persevered.
Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit.
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So, how can you tell when someone is filled with the Holy Spirit like Peter or Paul? What might we see when we peer within?
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Anyone filled with the Spirit has a particular trait:
Enthusiasm.
Enthusiasm comes from the Greek, “en theos,” meaning, “God within.”
Those filled with the Spirit are enthusiastic about their faith; you can see God working clearly through them and with them.
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Last week, for example, at the 10 am Mass, Sara brought together our youth and adult choirs. Together, they sang a song that she and Joe Lesky wrote for my installation as pastor called, “A Hundredfold.”
This time they sang it in honor of my 7th anniversary as a priest.
After Communion, I sat and listened.
Tears began welling up in my eyes as I heard our children, the Day by Day Singers, belt out every note; they were few in number, but their voices filled the church. They sang from their souls.
They were full of enthusiasm about that song and its meaning. They were filled with the Holy Spirit.
I didn’t even have to look.
I could imagine the smile on Sara’s face; her arms moving intentionally back and forth as she directed the song, while Joe Lesky sat at the piano, passionately playing each key.
Everyone in that choir had a heart filled with joy.
They were enthusiastic about their worship. Like Peter and Paul, they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
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When have I felt enthusiastic about my faith? Or about this parish? Or about God?
When you do, you know the Spirit is working.
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“Where can we hide God?” the devil asked his helpers.
“On the highest mountain!” … “At the bottom of the sea!”
“No, let’s hide God within each person. They’ll never look for him there.”
Or will we?
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Image credits: (1) Redeeming God (2) St. Paul Center (3) QuoteFancy
