My dear sisters and brothers,
For the times we have not realized that each one of us is the salt and the light of the earth, Lord, have mercy...
For the times we have failed to realize that the other too are is the salt and the light of the world, Christ, have mercy...
For the times we have failed to realize that we have the likeness of Christ and so, acted out accordingly, Lord, have mercy...
My dear sisters and brothers, immediately after the Beatitudes or the ‘attitudes to be’ that Jesus wants us to inculcate and grow in our lives, in the gospel text of today, Jesus reminds us of three images that we should become like…
You are the salt of the earth…
You are the light of the world….
You are a mountain, a mountain set on a hill…
Now, if we consider the intrinsic nature of these three things, in reality, it’s so obvious that none of them stands for itself…
Salt is to bring taste…
Light is to brighten a space…
A city, a city set on a mountain, is for others to see, to admire…
So, it s the intrinsic quality/property of these things that it is by losing themselves that they find their true identity, true meaning, and true purpose in life….
So Jesus says, if salt has lost its saltiness, then what is the use of it?
If the light is covered with a basket, then what is the use of it?
A city, can it be hidden at all?
Likewise, my dear sisters and brothers, Jesus is reminding us today, it is an intrinsic quality of those who follow him to be Christ-like…
What it means to be Christ-like?
It is to lose oneself for the sake of God and for the benefit of others….
And Jesus says, In Matthew 16:24-26, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it….”
Therefore, as disciples of Christ, if we lose our Christ-likeness, then what is our identity, what is the meaning of our life, and what is the purpose of our living?
Being Christ-like, just like salt, light, and a city set on a mountain, we cannot but lose ourselves. It is by losing ourselves for the service of God and his people, just as Jesus did, we find our true Christlikeness within…It is in doing so, we become true disciples of Christ…
St. Anthony of Padua whose feast we celebrate today is known in popular devotion as finder of the lost objects…. The saint of lost and found…
But, truly, St.Anthony of Padua, the 12th-century Franciscan Friar, found himself truly losing himself totally in the providence of God.
Wasn’t it the characteristic of salt, light, and a city set on a mountain that Jesus wants us to contemplate today?
“Saints are like the stars” St. Anthony seems to have said in one of his homilies…. “In his providence, Christ conceals them in a hidden place that they may not shine before others when they might wish to do so. Yet, they are always ready to exchange the quiet of contemplation for the works of mercy as soon as they perceive in their heart the invitation of Christ?”
Are you the salt of the earth? Are you the light of the world? Are you a city that is set on a mountain?
How Christ-like are you today as a follower?
Are you that star, hidden in Christ’s heart, ready to shine no sooner than you perceive his invitation, for God’s greater glory and for the benefit of his people?
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