9 February 2020
Mt 5:13-16
By Fr. Serg Kabamalan, CJM
To the uninitiated, Filipino food is salty. That is so because each dish is never meant to be eaten alone. Like in any Asian culinary tradition, food is prepared to be taken with bland, boiled rice in a merry-mix (halu-halo tradition) of gustatory experience with peculiar tastes coming together in harmony, heightened or underscored by salt. So, bring up to a Filipino the subject of salt and surely the conversation will veer toward what nourishes the body and what satisfies the palate. This connects well with our Gospel today. As followers of Christ, we are called to be the salt of the earth to help nourish the life and relationships of our brothers and sisters. To lose our saltiness is to fail to do so and contribute to the blandness of our relating leading to isolation and depersonalization.
The tropics enjoy generous sunlight all throughout the year, which could be harsh to the eyes of those who dwell in the temperate zones. But such light gives us a taste for a wider hues and tones of colors, from the light and the subtle to the bright and the gaudy, again in a merry mix of visual delights dependent on light. This connects with the Gospel as well for the followers of Christ ought to be the light to everyone in a firm and unmistakable witness of faith. Each of the baptize is called to allow the light of Christ to shine boldly in his/her life, and reveal to all that this same light can shine in them as well to become the basis of unity in the diversity of people’s culture, tradition, customs, social norms, viewpoints and the like.
Be the salt of the earth, be the light of the world in a life replete with purpose and meaning!
1. Imagine how the world can change if each one of us can be nourishing to our own small circle of friends and acquaintances.
2. Imagine the light that can emanate from each of our acts in the real world, and each of our posts in the virtual world in the darkness and gloom of hate, oppression and indifference.