So many things in life are about attitude and perspective. Let’s take light and darkness for example. Three men are walking down a tunnel.
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel.
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel.
A realist sees a freight train.
The engineer on the train sees three idiots standing on the tracks.
This week, Jesus give three images that describe a missionary disciple. The first is that we are salt of the earth.
We don’t think much about salt these days, but in the ancient world, it was so important that it was used as currency. The “soldier” comes from the Latin word “solidus” as the Roman legionnaires were paid in salt. Salt was life. In a time when there was no refrigeration, salt acted as a preservative for meat and fish. Salt is also a flavor enhancer. It brings out the best in just about everything. No surprise then that Jesus would use salt as an image for a missionary disciple. We are the stewards of a great treasure trove of spiritual and intellectual wisdom. Through the apostolic succession from the apostles we pass on the Catholic Faith that we have received whole and entire. We not only preserve the Faith, but if we are missionary disciples we give it new life in the present age so that others may come to know the Good News of the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life of the world to come.
This is what it means to be a city set on a hill, a beacon of hope in a world of chaos. Our job as a parish to become so much of a part of the neighborhood around us that they cannot imagine life without us.
We Alaskans are very sensitive to darkness and light. Already you can feel peoples’ moods improving as we are all able to go home from work and it is still light out. Light brings joy. It allows us to see the reality of the world around us without illusion. Light allows the true state of things to be seen and dealt with. Nasty things hide in the shadows. They cannot do that in the light. As a parish, we are best when we light for others so that they may see their own reality and the possibilities of the life of grace.
Let us then be salt, and light. Let us be a beacon of hope for those who seek a better way.