Salt & Light

We just finished our series on the Beatitudes, ending on the note of the possibility of persecution--and in fact, the near necessity of it! Before we move on from that to pursue some other topics, I wanted to discuss the reason that Jesus gives us this high calling and high standard of a life to live:

Matthew 5:13-16

"You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

Our lives are to be an example of the love of Christ. St. Paul calls us the Body of Christ, and individually parts of it. We are literally to be Christ's hands extended to this world. This world is falling apart at the seems, it can seem sometimes. Recently, our country's government just decided that Gay Marriage is legal, and has the same standing as regular Marriage. Before that, it decided that embryonic stem cell research was okay (and indeed, receives government grants and funding!). Before that, abortion was legalised (and the University of Western Ontario recently gave high honours to Dr. Morgentaler, the guy who made that happen!).

All this from a Nation that was founded upon Christian principles! Oh sure, we still have some good points. Health care is government funded (so far). We're known as a peacekeeper nation, rather than a war-mongering one. We do take pretty decent care of the poor, for the most part (*coughcough!*).

But our country is suffering. It is lost. People need the light of Christ! And that light is you and me.

Why does Jesus call us salt? Not only does salt taste good, and add flavour to food, but in Jesus' day, it was also a preservative. To update Jesus' words, today He might have said, "You are the refrigerators of the world". Or He might not have. But that's part of our role as Christians--to stand up and hold fast to Jesus' Laws, and preserve them in our culture, so that our culture doesn't decay further.

Why does Jesus call us light? Because this world is a dark place. His light shines in us to be a light in the darkness, so those who are lost and despairing without Him, can find their Way home! Or, to quote Angel (that vampire guy with a soul from Buffy, who got his own show), "Nothing in the world is the way it ought to be. It's harsh, and cruel, but that's why there's us. Champions. It doesn't matter where we come from, or what we've done, or suffered, or even if we make a difference. We live as though the world were as it should be. To show it what it can be."

I love that quote. And yeah, substitute "Christians" for "Champions", and you get the idea!

I read an article the other day, on another blog, about the gay marriage issue. On this blog, a wise fellow gives a list of predictions of what this turn of events may mean for our nation. Personally, I think he's bang-on! Here's the link, check it out: Stream of Life: "Let me know if I'm a prophet"

St. Joseph, Foster Father of our Lord, and patron of the True North, strong and free, pray for us!
God keep our land!