Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time, A February 9, 2020
Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
“Are you salty?” That’s a question you may have heard from a young person, a tv show, or seen on in the internet. When someone is “salty,” it means they are angry or bitter. But when Jesus called his disciples “the salt of the earth,” he didn’t mean they should go around angrily fussing at people. Sadly, that’s exactly what many people think of when the imagine Christians “preaching the Gospel.” They think of angry hypocrites using their religion to shame and control people they don’t understand. Unfortunately, they’re not all that wrong. Too many Christians are salty in the wrong kind of way.
But Christianity is not about behavior control. It’s not about anger. Bitterness has no place in the heart of a disciple of Jesus Christ. Jesus calls us to be salt because salt gives flavor, it preserves food from spoiling, it helps the body store water, and it was an important Old Testament symbol of being faithful to God’s covenant. Salt was added to Old Testament sacrifices, specifically the sacrifice of bread, to be a sign of fidelity. When Jesus tells his disciples to be salt, he is telling them to be a holy sacrifice to God, to offer their well-seasoned lives to God.
Well, what does that mean? How do I season my life as an offering to God? The next metaphor helps. Be the light of the world… rather, let your good works shine light on the world and lead people to God. Salt and light are both symbols of the same thing: good works. Be salty – not angry – but salty as in living a life full of good works.
The first reading is tugging on the same thread of light-as-good-works. It also lists the kind of works it means: feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the sick and the homeless. The psalm ties that thread into its pattern too: The just man is a light in darkness. How? By being just and honest, by lending money, and of course, by giving to the poor. Yes, the readings today are telling us that, if we want to be disciples of Jesus… if we want to go to heaven, then we need to be the light of the world by giving money.
Still, it’s not just about cash in the basket. The list of good works from the first reading probably sounded familiar to some of you. Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless… these are some of the corporal works of mercy. Good actions, loving actions, actions full of salt and light that aren’t just writing a check. I mean, I do need to pay bills and there are some big projects down the road, but being a good Christian isn’t defined by the number of dollars you give. Generosity means we give of ourselves, not just our bank account.
That’s good news; Not everyone can give money to the poor. Plenty of us are the poor. How the poor be salt and light? The works of mercy. And this starts in the home. Think about how many times you “feed the hungry” and “clothe the naked” when you are raising children. I’m impressed with the number of you who are raising grandchildren, caring for elderly parents, and even directly intervening to help neighbors and near-strangers in our community. That’s real generosity. That is the kind of saltiness we have, that we need more of.
Give what you can, be it money, time, work, prayer, or even just your suffering united to the cross. But don’t stop there. Give not just yourself, but God in you. It must start with faith, it must live through generosity of all kinds, and it will bear fruit in perseverance – in giving and working and praying when it’s hard. If staying Catholic in Jeanerette in 2020 is hard, I get it. If being generous is hard, I get it. But don’t let it make you bitter. Don’t be angry. Be salty, salty like Jesus Christ. His generosity killed him, and yet he’s still here. Here to say you are, that you must continue to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.