THROUGH UNTRUE
Fr. Rolando V. De La Rosa OP
In today's Gospel reading, Jesus compares Christians to salt and light, two basic necessities that have become expensive these days, like onions, rice, gasoline, and sugar. Perhaps Jesus uses these metaphors because, just as salt and light have become scarce, authentic Christians are fast becoming an "endangered species."
There are, of course, other reasons why Jesus likens Christians to salt and light. In the past, salt was so precious that you could use it to buy other goods, or pay for services done. The word salary, which refers to the monthly wage, is derived from "salarium," the Latin word for salt.
Just as salt brings out the exquisite flavor of food, Jesus wants Christians to bring out the best in other people. By their loving fidelity to God's commands, Christians lift others to a higher standard of behavior.
By their cheerful and hopeful disposition even in the bleakest of situations, they allow others to "taste and see the goodness of the Lord" (Psalm 34:8).
Jesus also expects Christians to be the light of the world. As one writer puts it, Christians are like "indicator lights on an airport runway that guide planes so they can land safely at night." They must incarnate Jesus's teachings so that their lives would serve as a light to those who are lost in the dark alleys of falsehood, crimes, and vices.
Some might think that the metaphor of salt and light smacks of triumphalism. But, in fact, it teaches us a lesson in humility.
Salt serves its purpose best when it does not call attention to its presence in food. As a seasoning, salt must "disappear" to bring out the flavor of what we eat. In the same way, when light shines, we don't notice it. What we see are the objects that it makes visible. If light becomes too glaring, it hampers our vision or even renders us blind.
So, salt and light have the same destiny: to become what St. Paul writes, "subject to futility" (Romans 8:20). In their vanishing or dying, their purpose comes to fruition.
To be compared to salt and light must make us Christians utterly humble. When we call too much attention to ourselves, our doctrines and rituals, and to our being set apart from lesser mortals, we blur Christ's image with our overbearing presence. People no longer see whom we represent, but our glaring mistakes and failures.
For, we must admit that, in many ways, we Christians have failed to measure up to Jesus's expectations. Today, corruption is still rampant. Poverty is endemic. Criminality and suicide are on the rise. Politics is still rotten, and the media thrives on violence and sensationalism. Marriages break down. Celebrities and influencers have monopolized our waking moments, and many people wander in the dark with tasteless lives because they have lost their sense of purpose and meaning.
Even our country, supposedly the only Christian country in Asia, is a scandal to many because of division, crimes, graft and corruption, social and economic inequalities.
Yes, every day, we come face to face with our inadequacies, our lack of foresight, the little divisions that exist within us, the strong sense of individualism that thwarts our desire to live up to our identity as Christians. We are overwhelmed by a sense of futility and failure.
But I would like to believe that God allows us to experience this in order that we can continue living in humility. Jesus used the metaphors of the salt and the light to tell us that being a Christian is not about winning or succeeding, but about TRYING. He wants us to realize that, despite our best efforts, it is God, not we, who finally triumphs.