Father has a great story to tell that exemplifies his passion for his vocation. This was highlighted in Mike Kelly's story published last month (link below) following a very trying time in our parish. While serving as the temporary Administrator of our parish, Fr. Mike's loving faith and Christian guidance led us all through some very dark days.
As a believer that we need to pass on the messages that inspire us the most, I am including a recent sermon given by Fr. Mike. He spoke so eloquently on our Christian role in impacting the lives of others in our own daily lives. Fr. Mike's message resonates to all Christians of all walks of life. And although his sermon was targeted to his Catholic audience, the message is universal to all Christians in today's society. It is a great message..."We are ordinary people who can be extraordinary examples of salt and light for those we meet this week--and every day of our lives." Every day is an opportunity to pass it forward.
Fr. Mike Swanton Sermon ~ Salt and Light
The Gospel today gives us two very ordinary, yet necessary and important images—salt and light--to help us understand who we are as Catholic Christians.
The Gospel today gives us two very ordinary, yet necessary and important images—salt and light--to help us understand who we are as Catholic Christians.
Jesus calls us “salt of the earth.” Before refrigerators were invented, salt was used as a preservative to keep meat from spoiling. Today, we live in a culture which seems to value lower standards of honesty, work habits, morality—our culture is spoiling. Since we are salt of the earth, we are called to preserve others from falling into sin. Catholics are called to raise the standard—in our speech, conduct, and even our thoughts. We don’t have to be part of the crowd that admires the lowest common denominator. Catholics challenge others, to protect ourselves and others from sin --to keep others from going bad. Our positive, life-giving, upbeat presence, our ability to love others as God loves, makes it easier for everyone to be good.
The most obvious quality of salt is that it gives food flavor.…What salt is to food is what being Catholic is to life. Catholics who carry an attitude of joy and gratefulness and suffer without complaining are salt of the earth. They are people we can trust and confide in. They offer creative solutions that build up others. They are talented in music, art, theater and sports. They give life to life.
However, salt can lose its taste. It can turn bad. When we grow weak in our faith, sin creeps in. We lose our life, our taste; and this is bad for ourselves and for our family and friends. We don’t set a good example, we become unhappy; or we can become grumpy, gripe, cut others down and be negative. This taste of salt goes flat.
But when we allow God to work in us through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we can regain that taste and return to our former state of holiness. Jesus is salt of the earth that preserves us from eternal corruption and guarantees eternal life. He is constantly giving us this gift. We just have to say “yes” and receive it.
God gives flavor and meaning to our lives because he is the author of life. We are attracted to goodness, truth, and beauty because that is what we were made for. We are made to be with God. We are meant to be salt of the earth. We’re not meant to look pretty on the table of life, but to be shared with others.
Light—I’m solar powered…I need the sun. When the sun doesn’t shine, I drag, can’t get out of bed, have no energy and am not as jovial as usual. Light gives me energy, life and strength.
We are the light of the world
This is the highest compliment paid to a Christian, since Jesus said that HE was the “light of the world.” Jesus demands that we be like him. The radiance which shines from the Catholic Christian comes from the presence of Christ within.
A light is meant to be seen
A Catholic is meant to be seen—by the hope we show others, the joy we display, our perseverance in times of difficulty, saying grace in public and sharing our gifts with others. There is no such thing as private discipleship or being separate or individualistic. We are meant to be relational, a community, the Body of Christ. We are all about unity, and should be on the same page in faith and morals.
A light is meant to be shared with others
Jesus didn’t say, “You are the light of the Church”. He said, “You are the light of the WORLD.” It should be visible in our normal activities. …the way we treat someone at work or at home, in the parking lot, the language we use, and what we read or watch on TV. People should be able to observe our happiness, our love of love others, our empathy with those going through difficult times.
A light is a guide
Light makes it easy to see and takes away the darkness. A Catholic makes the way clear for others:
1. Church leaders can give the world a voice instead of being written off as not with the times.
2. Politicians can stand up for particular issues instead of being wishy washy.
3. The world needs Catholics who are prepared to lead good and holy lives.
We are called to be leaders in faith and morals by walking the walk and talking the talk. Those who know their faith well should step up and teach others or defend the Faith. When we do good, when we lead lives of goodness, people will be attracted to us and say, “I want what he/she has. I want that kind of love, faith, hope, truth, that peace of mind and heart. We should recognize that all good comes from God—not us--but Jesus living in us and working through us, making us the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
When we live as faithful Catholics, we preserve ourselves and others from sin and those things that are negative and against Christian values. When we live as faithful Catholics, we become more fully the spice of life for others by our joy and positive actions. We can be a light that can be seen for others by taking the courage to stand up for our Faith in public and private situations. In doing so, we share ourselves with others and become a guide in faith and morals.
The ordinary images of salt and light are rich in meaning. We are ordinary people who can be extraordinary examples of salt and light for those we meet this week--and every day of our lives.
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