REFLECTION FROM THE DESK OF THE PASTOR
“You are the light of the world – You are the salt
of the earth.” These words of Jesus are not addressed privately to the group of
his twelve apostles. They are directed instead to all his disciples. That this
is the case, is underlined by the fact that in today’s liturgy the church links
this Gospel passage to the first reading from the prophet Isiah. There the
Lord, speaking through his prophet, addressed not just a special group but the
whole people of Israel. “Your light must shine like the dawn – your light must
rise in the darkness.” This means of course that as disciples of Jesus, we are
meant to hear these words being addressed directly to us both as individuals,
yes, also as a community of faith. We together are called to be salt for the
people of our time. We are called to be present in the midst of our society as
a community of faith which preserves the integrity and wholeness of our
community, just as salt preserves food from decay. We are meant to be like salt
added to food, a presence which brings out the best in our society. And we are
meant to be like a light shining in the darkness of our society, helping people
to find their way to the fulness of life God so deeply desires for all his
children. This is a responsibility we all share as brothers and sisters in
Christ. It is the task we have been given by the Lord who has called us into
his church so that together we can be a clear and living and attractive sign of
the ongoing presence of Jesus in our world today. And because of the greatness
and importance of this task this vocation, the Lord has called and continues to
call from among us men whom he chooses to live the priestly life and ministry
and men and women whom he calls to religious life. For all those extraordinary
women and men who have given their lives in generous service to us. We should
give thanks to God and show our support for them through our prayer, our
encouragement and our friendship.
