Message of Abbot Paul - Tuesday 8th June
Message from Fr Paul for Tuesday, 8th June 2021
The recent hot weather has led to an explosion of colour both in the countryside and in our gardens with flowers and blossom suddenly bursting into life. I’m amazed, in particular, at the enormous clumps of buttercups on our field and, as ever, with the vast variety of roses. They make a walk with Toby at any time of day a delight to the eye and a comforting reminder that life continues even in the midst of lockdown. My thoughts today lie particularly with our community, oblates and friends in Peru as the results of the presidential election trickle in. It’s a real cliff hanger. I only wish I could say, “May the best man or woman win,” but I can’t, as both candidates seem quite unsuited to the gargantuan task of rebuilding a broken and fragmented country still in the throes of the Covid pandemic. Please pray for Peru and other nations in Latin America that find themselves in a similar situation.
In today’s Gospel, we continue our reading of Matthew and the Sermon on the Mount, (Mt 5: 13-16). Jesus, speaking with his disciples, tells them, “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.” I wonder what they made of his words. Let’s see what he said.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again? It is good for nothing, and can only be thrown out to be trampled underfoot by men.
You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.”
Salt had two purposes in the first century. It was used to preserve food, especially meat and fish, which would quickly spoil if not salted. Believers in Christ preserve the world from the evil inherent in the society of ungodly people whose unredeemed natures are corrupted by sin. Secondly, salt was used, as now, to enhance flavour. As salt seasons food, so the followers of Christ stand out as those who season life in this world. Christians, living under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in obedience to Christ, inevitably influence the world for good. Think of the words of St Francis, “Lord, make me a channel of your peace.” We exemplify the love of God in Christ, returning good for evil, as St Paul writes.
In the analogy of light to the world, the good works of Christ’s disciples are to shine for all to see. The presence of light in darkness is something that cannot be hidden. Think of the lamp burning before the Blessed Sacrament in a large church. The presence of Christians in the world must be like a light in the darkness, not only in the sense that the truth of God’s Word brings light to the darkened hearts of sinful man, but also in the sense that our good deeds must be evident for all to see. In fact, our deeds will be seen if they are performed in accordance with the principles that Jesus mentions in the Beatitudes. Obviously, the concern is not that Christians should stand out for their own sake, but that those who look on might “give the praise to your Father in heaven.”
Lord, you have called us to be salt and light in the world today. Only in your strength and by your grace will we accomplish what you ask us to be. We place our lives in your hands. Do with us what you will. Amen.
