In the gospel at Mass today [Matthew 5:13-16], Jesus teaches us that we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Notice that Jesus does not say that one day we will be light and salt or that we might be light and salt. Rather, we ARE the light of the world and the salt of the earth. When we were baptized, we were enlightened by Christ as symbolized by the candle that we (or our parents) received. Baptism has been referred to as the sacrament of illumination. Jesus is the light of the world. In baptism, we become part of his body and are made the light of the world.

In the gospel, Jesus has always said something that has confused me:
You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. [v.13]
As a former chemist, I knew that salt can’t lose its flavor unless something drastic is done to it. Like maybe a nuclear explosion. Since nuclear bombs were not around in Jesus’ day, he must have meant something else. My confusion was solved by an article that I read by John Pilch. I share with you his commentary:
Modern visitors to Israel who travel the road north from Jerusalem toward Shechem notice clay-ovens next to some houses along the roadside. Many prefer to cook in these outdoor ovens rather than on their electric or propane gas stoves.


Ovens like these have been around since ancient times. In the biblical period each village had a common oven. Since villagers were often members of a very large, extended family, these common ovens were family ovens. To be salt for the earth-oven is to start fires and make things burn.

The common fuel for the oven was something that was more plentiful than wood: camel or donkey dung. One of the duties each young girl had to learn was to collect the dung, mix salt in it, and mold it into patties to be left in the sun to dry. In the Middle East and many Third World countries, such dung patties are still used as fuel today.

A slab of salt was placed at the base of the oven and upon it the salted dung patty. Salt has catalytic properties which cause the dung to burn. Eventually the salt slab loses its catalytic ability and becomes useless. Or as Jesus says, “It is good for nothing but to be thrown outside where it can still provide a sure footing in a muddy road.”

This is the Mediterranean cultural imagery Jesus has in mind when he says: “You, my disciples; are the salt, that is, catalyst for the earth-oven.” (In the Aramaic and Hebrew languages which Jesus spoke, one and the same word means “earth” and “clay-oven.”)

To be salt for the earth-oven is to start fires and make things burn. If Jesus’ disciples do this, they will also be “light of the earth.” The two images so masterfully joined show Jesus to be a clever and imaginative teacher.

So the salt which was meant to burn also gives off light. Just like the rest of the gospel where Jesus states:
You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.

So how are we to shine with the light of Christ? Without Christ, we would not be light. So, step one is to stay united with him. Voila! That is why we have the Eucharist, so we can abide in him and he in us. Mother Teresa’s religious sisters recite a prayer after communion asking Jesus that his light shine through them by means of the work that they do:
Dear Jesus, help us to spread Your fragrance everywhere we go. Flood our souls with Your spirit and life. Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly that our lives may only be a radiance of Yours. Shine through us, and be so in us that every soul we come in contact with may feel Your presence in our souls. Let them look up and see no longer us, but only Jesus! Stay with us, and then we shall begin to shine as You shine; so to shine as to be a light to others. The light, O Jesus, will be all from You, none of it will be ours; it will be You shining on others through us. Let us thus praise You in the way You love best; by shining on others through us. Let us preach You without preaching, not by words but by example, by the catching force, the sympathetic influence of what we do, the evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to You. Amen

As the prayer states, our union with Christ along with our “works” in imitation of Jesus will help us to the light of the world. One of the Eucharistic prayers describes Jesus’ work during his public ministry as:
He always showed compassion for children and for the poor, for the sick and for sinners, and he became a neighbor to the oppressed and the afflicted. By word and deed, he announced to the world that you are our Father and that you care for all your sons and daughters.

How will shine with the light of Christ and set the world on fire on a different course? Like the familiar hymn states:
They will know that we are Christians by our love!!
 

On February 3, traditionally there is a blessing of throats in honor of Saint Blaise, whose feast day is today. Who is Saint Blaise? As one article stated, we know more about the various celebrations of the saint in various parts of the world than we really know of the saint. Often it is hard to distinguish between fact versus fiction when information of the saint is known.

Who is Saint Blaise? As one article stated:
Bishop Blaise was martyred in his episcopal city of Sebastea, Armenia, in 316. The legendary Acts of St. Blaise were written 400 years later. According to them Blaise was a good bishop, working hard to encourage the spiritual and physical health of his people. Although the Edict of Toleration (311), granting freedom of worship in the Roman Empire, was already five years old, persecution still raged in Armenia. Blaise was apparently forced to flee to the back country. There he lived as a hermit in solitude and prayer, but he made friends with the wild animals. One day a group of hunters seeking wild animals for the amphitheater stumbled upon Blaise’s cave. They were first surprised and then frightened. The bishop was kneeling in prayer surrounded by patiently waiting wolves, lions and bears.
The legend has it that as the hunters hauled Blaise off to prison, a mother came with her young son who had a fish bone lodged in his throat. At Blaise’s command the child was able to cough up the bone.
Agricolaus, governor of Cappadocia, tried to persuade Blaise to sacrifice to pagan idols. The first time Blaise refused, he was beaten. The next time he was suspended from a tree and his flesh torn with iron combs or rakes. Finally, he was beheaded.

The blessing of throats on this feast day asks Blaise’s intercession for protection from diseases of the throat and every other illness. While the blessing prayer asks for protection from physical diseases, especially those of the throat, we might think of spiritual diseases of the throat. As ambassadors of Christ, we are Jesus’ representatives in the world. For us to proclaim the good news throughout the world, we need the courage to speak out. That courage was certainly not missing in Saint John the Baptist. As we read in today’s gospel [Mark 6:14-29], John had the courage to confront Herod about the sinfulness of his marriage to his brother’s wife. John’s witness to the Jewish faith cost him his life. Today, if we speak out in support of the traditional definition of marriage as that of a covenant between a man and woman, we might not suffer the same level of persecution that John the Baptist did, but we will be attacked as intolerant.

Unlike John who had a clear, prophetic voice, Herod, on the other hand, suffered the throat disease of making excessive promises with his words. At the sensuality of his daughter’s dance in front of his guests, Herod made a rash offer with his words:
Herodias's own daughter came in and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, "Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you." He even swore (many things) to her, "I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom. [v. 22-23]
Even when Herod recognized the rashness of his words, he did not have the courage to do what is right. Herod wanted to look good in front of his guests:
The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. [v.26]

Regarding spiritual diseases of the throat, Archbishop Sheen said that:
 Christians are God’s chosen people, but from the way that we live out our faith, one would think that we are God’s frozen people.
Have we lost our courage to profess our faith and to speak out when actions and decisions are contrary to God’s laws? If so, Saint Blaise’s blessing is needed for us. For instance, in the first reading at Mass [Hebrews 13:1-8], the author speaks of hospitality:
Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels. [v. 1-2]
The language of hospitality can be spoken without words at times. For instance, in a talk with youth during his trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pope Francis spoke about hands. He asked the young people to make a fist with their hand and then to open and extend their hands in front of them. Which gesture offers hospitality? Words can be spoken without ever a sound coming from our throats.

One author spoke about the spiritual diseases of the throat that she hopes to conquer this year. I share her thoughts with you. Her list of spiritual diseases of the throat are probably some of the same ones from which we also suffer:

• I hope that I am more honest this year, articulating who I am and not merely responding to the names others have given me
• I hope that I am gentler with telemarketers who call at inconvenient times or people at McDonald’s drive-through whose voices I can never seem to understand
• I hope my voice is stronger for human rights, especially for the marginalized persons whose voices are so easily ignored
• I hope to express my love for others more often, especially with my family members
• I hope to go beyond mumbling mere responses during liturgies and I hope to pray the Gloria with much more joy and gusto this year
• I especially hope to honor the voices of others by really listening to them, as they honor me with their stories
• This year, what I really want to find, to own, and to put out there in the world, is my voice on behalf of Christ

Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God protect us from every disease of the throat and every other illness.
And may God help us all to find our voices and to speak out truths and to share the precious gifts of words with one another.
 

What is the most important day in your life? Is it the day of your baptism? Do we know on what day we were baptized? If not, check your baptismal certificate. Baptism is an “enlightenment” sacrament and the Presentation of the Lord that we celebrate today is all about light.

During the celebration at Mass of the Presentation of the Lord, one option is for candles are blessed. In addition, for some the Christmas season officially ends so Christmas trees (artificial?) are put away.

The reading from the prophet Malachi at Mass [Malachi 3:1-4] speaks of the Lord coming into the temple:
And suddenly there will come to the temple the LORD whom you seek, And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. [v.1]
The prophet Ezekiel spoke about the Lord’s presence leaving the temple due to the peoples’ hardness of heart and lack of proper worship. Therefore, the people were spiritually walking in darkness. Towards the end of the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, the Lord is pictured as returning to the temple. Light was returning to the Jewish people. Today’s gospel describes this scene noticed by two elderly, but very holy people, Simeon and Anna. Jesus, who is the light of the world and Lord, is being brought back once again into the temple. As John’s gospel states:
through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. [John 1:4-5]

When we were baptized, we were given a candle lit from the paschal candle and instructed that we had been enlightened by Christ in the waters of baptism. From that moment on, we were told to walk as children of the light and not children of the darkness. In the gospel, Simeon was able to hold in his hands Jesus, the light of the world. Because we are baptized, we too can hold the light of the world in our hands when we receive the Eucharist. Do we appreciate this great gift that baptism has provided? Without baptism, a person cannot receive the Eucharist.

Living as children of the light is always our challenge. In this Sunday’s gospel Jesus will remind us that we are the light of the world and we are called to let our light shine before others so that they can glorify our heavenly Father. It is a reminder of what happened at our baptism. As Saint Paul states in 2 Corinthians 5:15:
He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
As baptized Christians, living for Christ and not for ourselves enables us to be the light of the world. Living for ourselves and not for Christ means that we are hiding out light under a basket, something Christ instructs us not to do!

Pope Francis experienced one of those moments of light yesterday when he was visiting the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Warring groups, who are trying to control the rich mineral resources of the country, are committing horrible acts of bloodshed. The pope was present at ceremony with some of those who have lost family members due to the killing:
In a moving encounter with Pope Francis, children from eastern Congo laid down the machetes and knives used to kill their families at the foot of Christ’s cross to symbolize their forgiveness.
“I place before the cross of Christ the Victor the same knife as the one that killed all the members of my family,” Léonie Matumaini from Mbau elementary school told the pope on Feb. 1.
The child’s heartbreaking witness on the Pope’s second day in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa served as a shocking reminder of the horrors taking place in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s conflict-ridden eastern region.
It was one of several wrenching testimonies the Pope heard during his encounter with victims of the violence. He told them afterward their stories had left him “without words.”
The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.

Saint John Paul II in his encyclical on the Eucharist stated that as baptized members of the body of Christ, we are called to bring the light of hope to a world darkened by sin.
[The Eucharist] … spurs us on our journey through history and plants a seed of living hope in our daily commitment to the work before us. Certainly the Christian vision leads to the expectation of “new heavens” and “a new earth” (Rev 21:1), but this increases, rather than lessens, our sense of responsibility for the world today. ….Theirs is the task of contributing with the light of the Gospel to the building of a more human world, a world fully in harmony with God's plan.
Many problems darken the horizon of our time. We need but think of the urgent need to work for peace, to base relationships between peoples on solid premises of justice and solidarity, and to defend human life from conception to its natural end. And what should we say of the thousand inconsistencies of a “globalized” world where the weakest, the most powerless and the poorest appear to have so little hope! It is in this world that Christian hope must shine forth! For this reason too, the Lord wished to remain with us in the Eucharist, making his presence in meal and sacrifice the promise of a humanity renewed by his love.
Proclaiming the death of the Lord “until he comes” (1 Cor 11:26) entails that all who take part in the Eucharist be committed to changing their lives and making them in a certain way completely “Eucharistic”. [On the Eucharist, 20]

Baptism allows us to hold Jesus, the Light of the World, in our hands. But it also requires us to make our lives completely Eucharistic. As Victor Frankl, a survivor of the Nazi concentration camp system said:
“What is to give light must endure burning.”

Jesus defined this by daily taking up cross and following Him. If we do, then we are fulfilling our baptismal commission to be and to walk always as children of the light.