Salt and Light

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to examine how we can better align our action with Jesus' declaration of our role as salt and light for the world.

Light to Guide the Way

The Reading from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians addresses Sincerity and Constancy.

* [1:18–22] As God is faithful: unable to deny the change in plans, Paul nonetheless asserts the firmness of the original plan and claims a profound constancy in his life and work. He grounds his defense in God himself, who is firm and reliable; this quality can also be predicated in various ways of those who are associated with him. Christ, Paul, and the Corinthians all participate in analogous ways in the constancy of God. A number of the terms here, which appear related only conceptually in Greek or English, would be variations of the same root, ’mn, in a Semitic language, and thus naturally associated in a Semitic mind, such as Paul’s. These include the words yes (2 Cor 1:17–20), faithful (2 Cor 1:18), Amen (2 Cor 1:20), gives us security (2 Cor 1:21), faith, stand firm (2 Cor 1:24).

* [1:21–22] The commercial terms gives us security, seal, first installment are here used analogously to refer to the process of initiation into the Christian life, perhaps specifically to baptism. The passage is clearly trinitarian. The Spirit is the first installment or “down payment” of the full messianic benefits that God guarantees to Christians. Cf. Eph 1:13–14. (2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 119 praises fidelity to the law.

* [Psalm 119] This Psalm, the longest by far in the Psalter, praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by. The author glorifies and thanks God for the Torah, prays for protection from sinners enraged by others’ fidelity to the law, laments the cost of obedience, delights in the law’s consolations, begs for wisdom to understand the precepts, and asks for the rewards of keeping them. (Psalms, PSALM 119, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew presents similes of Salt and Light.

* [5:13–16] By their deeds the disciples are to influence the world for good. They can no more escape notice than a city set on a mountain. If they fail in good works, they are as useless as flavorless salt or as a lamp whose light is concealed.

* [5:13] The unusual supposition of salt losing its flavor has led some to suppose that the saying refers to the salt of the Dead Sea that, because chemically impure, could lose its taste. (Matthew, CHAPTER 5, n.d.)

George Butterfield comments that, in the Gospel, Jesus refers to us as salt and light.

Jesus also challenges his disciples to be light. Jesus is the light of the world. His Father’s face shines upon us. When we do good, we are like a city set on a hill which cannot be hidden. This is to let our light shine. When we do this, we glorify the One whose face shines upon us and makes it possible for us to be light in the darkness.

Jesus is our Yes. The Father shines his face upon us. The Holy Spirit has been given to us. We are called to love his commands and be salt and light. How can we fail? (Butterfield, 2025)

Don Schwager quotes “The Light of Truth,” by Chromatius (died 406 AD)

The Lord has already called his disciples the "salt of the earth" because they seasoned with divine wisdom the hearts of the human race which had been made tasteless by the devil. Now he also calls them the "light of the world." For, illumined by his very own self who is the true and eternal light, they too become light within the darkness. For since he himself is the sun of righteousness, he rightly also calls his disciples "light of the world." Through them, as if through shining rays, he poured the light of his knowledge on the entire world. For by showing the light of truth, the Lord's disciples made the darkness of error flee from people's hearts. (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 19.1.1-2) .

[Note: Chromatius was an early Christian scholar and bishop of Aquileia, Italy. He was a close friend of John Chrysostom and Jerome. He died in 406 AD. Jerome described him as a "most learned and most holy man."] (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 5:13-16 comments that in today’s Gospel, Jesus says that we are the salt of the earth! That means that our life can have an impact on the people around us, just as Jesus’ did.

Above all, cultivate your relationship with the Lord. Stay close to him. The more you receive God’s grace, the more you hold fast to his love, the “saltier” you will become and the more clearly you will witness to the people you encounter.

It’s true—you are the salt of the earth! So let Jesus’ life in you draw everyone you meet to thirst for him.

“Jesus, thank you for all the ways you have changed my life. Let your joy and peace and mercy always be visible in me.” (Meditation on Matthew 5:13-16, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in 2 Corinthians Paul speaks that God is faithful in response to Paul being accused of ambiguity. He is proclaiming Christ and the anointing of the Spirit as the love between the Father and Son. We can listen to the voice within to know the Love of God. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus declares our role as salt of the earth. We give zest and flavour to life and give meaning and significance through enthusiasm. Friar Jude reminds us that we don’t hide but give witness to our Christianity as a gift to others.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces contemplative theologian Beverly Lanzetta who offers instructions for the monastic practice of lectio divina which today can be practiced by all. The first stage is lectio or reading.

Unlike reading for content, lectio divina approaches the text as a form of prayer, guiding us closer to union with the Holy One. At its simplest, lectio is not reading intellectually to gather information or instruction, but with the intention that the reader be formed in the divine likeness. In and through text, one comes face-to-face with Spirit. Through slowly reading, we allow words to penetrate our hearts and fill us with wisdom and love. Sometimes we are pulled clean out of our ordinary state of mind. We may awaken to new truths or insights, suffer compunction or shame, or be forgiven and bathed in light. By whatever means, when we read with meditative attention, communion occurs through surrender and rest. We do not hurry reading, trying to find the thesis, underlying cause, or doing critical analysis. We stop. We remain still in the presence of mystery…. (Rohr, n.d.)

We consider the “salt” we can share that gives our journey a full taste of life and how our “light” may be an invitation to people in our environment to “come and see”.

References

Butterfield, G. (2025, June 10). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved June 10, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/061025.html 

Matthew, CHAPTER 5. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 10, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5? 

Meditation on Matthew 5:13-16. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 10, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/06/10/1303612/ 

Psalms, PSALM 119. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 10, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Lectio, Meditatio, Oratio, Contemplatio. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 10, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/lectio-meditatio-oratio-contemplatio/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Salt of the Earth and Light of the World. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 10, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=jun10 

2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 10, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/1?18 

The Word Among Us

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with the practice at year end to recall the events that shaped our journey and refresh our resolution to live as disciples of Christ in the New Year.

Word and Life

The reading from the First Letter of John is a warning against Antichrists.

* [2:18] It is the last hour: literally, “a last hour,” the period between the death and resurrection of Christ and his second coming. The antichrist: opponent or adversary of Christ; the term appears only in 1 John–2 John, but “pseudochrists” (translated “false messiahs”) in Mt 24:24 and Mk 13:22, and Paul’s “lawless one” in 2 Thes 2:3, are similar figures. Many antichrists: Matthew, Mark, and Revelation seem to indicate a collectivity of persons, here related to the false teachers.

* [2:19] Not really of our number: the apostate teachers only proved their lack of faith by leaving the community.

* [2:20] The anointing that comes from the holy one: this anointing is in the Old Testament sense of receiving the Spirit of God. The holy one probably refers to Christ. True knowledge is the gift of the Spirit (cf. Is 11:2), and the function of the Spirit is to lead Christians to the truth (Jn 14:17, 26; 16:13). (1 John, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 96 offers praise to God Who Comes in Judgement.

* [Psalm 96] A hymn inviting all humanity to praise the glories of Israel’s God (Ps 96:1–3), who is the sole God (Ps 96:4–6). To the just ruler of all belongs worship (Ps 96:7–10); even inanimate creation is to offer praise (Ps 96:11–13). This Psalm has numerous verbal and thematic contacts with Is 40–55, as does Ps 98. Another version of the Psalm is 1 Chr 16:23–33. (Psalms, PSALM 96 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John proclaims the Word Became Flesh.

* [1:1–18] The prologue states the main themes of the gospel: life, light, truth, the world, testimony, and the preexistence of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Logos, who reveals God the Father. In origin, it was probably an early Christian hymn. Its closest parallel is in other christological hymns, Col 1:15–20 and Phil 2:6–11. Its core (Jn 1:1–5, 10–11, 14) is poetic in structure, with short phrases linked by “staircase parallelism,” in which the last word of one phrase becomes the first word of the next. Prose inserts (at least Jn 1:6–8, 15) deal with John the Baptist. (John, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Thomas Quinn comments that there will not be one “antichrist” but many. These may include: false prophets, blasphemers, corrupt leaders, those that love power and greed more than God. The list, unfortunately, may be endless.  It has even been used by Christians to defame and vilify other Christians.  Love one another. Jesus did make that clear.

St. Ignatius, in the spiritual exercises, asks us to choose a standard or side. Do you choose evil or good? Like St. John, St. Ignatius believed in the power that evil can have over us. We too need to be vigilant in this regard. If we cling to the standard of Christ, goodness and holiness will follow.  We will be spiritually stronger than any evil entity or idea. St. John also reminds us, in the Gospel today, that “The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us.” We know the way to spiritual security and joy. We have been given the law through Moses, and grace and truth through Jesus Christ. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Let the eternal and true light of the world shine upon us. Live our lives in this new year by more closely following Jesus’ example; be joyful and love one another. (Quinn, 2024)

Don Schwager quotes “The first-fruits of the Gospels,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).

"I think that John's Gospel, which you have enjoined us to examine to the best of our ability, is the first-fruits of the Gospels. It speaks of him whose descent is traced and begins from him who is without a genealogy... The greater and more perfect expressions concerning Jesus are reserved for the one who leaned on Jesus' breast. For none of the other Gospels manifested his divinity as fully as John when he presented him saying, 'I am the light of the world' (John 8:42), 'I am the way and the truth and the life' (John 14:6), 'I am the resurrection' (John 11:25), 'I am the door' (John 10:9), 'I am the good shepherd' (John 10:11)... We might dare say then that the Gospels are the first-fruits of all Scripture but that the first-fruits of the Gospels is that according to John whose meaning no one can understand who has not leaned on Jesus' breast or received Mary from Jesus to be his mother also." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 1.21-23) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 John 2:18-21 comments that John encourages us not to be afraid. Why? Because we know the truth. Because we have received “the anointing that comes from the Holy One” (1 John 2:20). And that Holy One is “the Father’s only-begotten Son, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Even though we don’t know what the coming year might hold, we can cling to this truth, and that can prepare our hearts for whatever happens.

It’s true that we don’t know what this new year will hold. But it’s equally true that we know the One who holds the new year in his hands. He is in our corner, and we can trust in his love and fidelity.

So lift up your heart and walk boldly into the new year.

“Thank you, Jesus, that I can trust you completely.” (Meditation on 1 John 2:18-21, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the impact of docetism, a form of Gnosticism, that dismissed the divinity of Christ and valued the spiritual over the material. The Word, wisdom, sarx, and Christ are differentiated in the poetry and prose of the Prologue of the Gospel of John. We have seen the grace and truth, hesed and emet, from the Hebrew Testament. Friar Jude reminds us of Jesus' mission to reveal who the Father is and what He wants of us.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces spiritual writer Debie Thomas who considers the significance of salt to Jesus’ first listeners.

Salt poured out without discretion leaves a burnt, bitter sensation in its wake. It ruins what it tries to enhance. It repels.  

This, unfortunately, is the reputation Christianity has these days. We are known as the salt that exacerbates wounds, irritates souls, and ruins goodness. We are considered arrogant, domineering, obnoxious, and uninterested in enhancing anything but ourselves. We are known for hoarding our power, not for giving it away. We are known for shaming, not blessing. We are known for using our words to burn, not heal.  

This is not what Jesus intends when he calls us the salt of the earth…. Salt at its best sustains and enriches life. It pours itself out with discretion so that God’s kingdom might be known on the earth—a kingdom of spice and zest, a kingdom of health and wholeness, a kingdom of varied depth, flavor, and complexity.  

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes concrete the work of love, compassion, healing, and justice. It’s not enough to believe. It’s not enough to bask in our blessedness while creation burns. To be blessed, to be salt, to be followers of Jesus, is to take seriously what our identity signifies. (Rohr, n.d.) 

In the time of reflection on the past year, we ponder the connection of Word becoming flesh to our experience and plans as followers of Christ.

References

John, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 31, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/1?1 

Meditation on 1 John 2:18-21. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 31, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/12/31/1169162/ 

1 John, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 31, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/2?18 

Psalms, PSALM 96 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 31, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/96?1 

Quinn, T. (2024, December 31). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Retrieved December 31, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/123124.html 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Why Does Salt Matter? Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 31, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/why-does-salt-matter/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Word Became Flesh and Dwelt among Us. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 31, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=dec31