The faithful called to bring God's love to everyone

Last updated: Thu 31 Mar 2022 PM

This Sunday, the Pope returned to the Gospel of the day according to Saint Matthew: "You are the salt of the earth (...) You are the light of the world", when Jesus uses a "symbolic language" to indicate to those who want to follow him, here his disciples, "certain criteria to live the presence and witness in the world".

This Sunday the Pope proposes a catechesis on the two images proposed by Jesus, that of salt and that of light.

Witnessing to honesty

First of all, salt, the element "which gives flavour, preserves and preserves food from corruption", says Francis. The disciples are therefore called to keep away from "the society of dangers, from the corrosive germs that pollute people's lives". It is necessary to resist sin, "moral degradation", not yielding "to the mundane flattery of the worldliness of power and wealth," but to bear witness "to the values of honesty and fraternity," the Pope recommends.

Meet your neighbour

For Francis, the disciple becomes "salt" when, in spite of daily failures, he rises "from the dust of his own mistakes" to begin again each day, "with courage and patience", to seek dialogue and encounter with others.

The disciple becomes "salt" when he does not seek "consensus and applause but when he tries to be a humble and constructive presence", in fidelity to the teachings of Jesus who came not to be served but to serve. "This is an attitude that we need so much", exclaims Francis.

Let the light of Christ shine

As for the light, the second image that Jesus uses, it disperses the darkness and makes it possible to see. Jesus is the light that dispels the darkness, but the darkness "remains in the world and in individuals," notes the Pope. For this reason, the Christian's task is to disperse it "by making the light of Christ shine and proclaiming his Gospel". How is this to be done? The Pope explains that this "irradiation" can come from our words, but above all it can come from our good works. "A disciple and a Christian community are the light of the world when they direct others towards God, helping each one to experience his goodness and mercy," he stresses. He suggests "living one's faith outside of narrow spaces", helping to "eliminate prejudice and slander", and bringing "the light of truth into situations marred by hypocrisy and lies". Thus the disciple of Jesus becomes "light".

A Church always evangelizing

This Sunday, therefore, Jesus invites us not to be afraid to live in the world, even if we sometimes encounter conditions of conflict or sin. "In the face of violence, injustice and oppression, the Church cannot close in on herself or hide behind the security of her own enclosure. She cannot abandon her mission of evangelisation and service", says Francis, who wants a Church that "spends herself with generosity and tenderness for the little ones and the poor" while listening to the cry of the least and the excluded "because she is aware that she is a community on the way, called to prolong in history the saving presence of Jesus Christ".

Finally, the Pope asks for the intercession of the Virgin Mary to help the faithful and himself to be "salt and light" in the midst of the people, bringing to all in word and deed the Good News of God's love.

Source: Vatican News