In this week’s Gospel Jesus speaks on the nature of effective evangelization: “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world…Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” In typical Jesus fashion, He employs the use of metaphor to explain a higher reality.
It is said a good chef uses salt to enhance taste and delay expiration. By calling the Church the salt of the earth, Jesus is saying we enrich society by being intentional disciples. In other words, the Church is salting the earth when she evangelizes with missionary zeal. St. Paul uses the same metaphor: “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you know how you should respond to each one” (Col. 4:6). Our words must be animated by divine faith and charity if we are to effectively bring Jesus to others: we cannot give what we do not have. We must also be intentional listeners: we cannot respond well if we first do not engage in genuine dialogue through the art of listening.
Additionally, no one lights a lamp and then obscures it. The Gospel is the same way–it is meant to be both received and shared. The Gospel impels proclamation because it is alive: “For the word of God is living and active” (Heb. 4:12). It is alive through the inspirative power of the Holy Spirit and because Christ Himself is the living Word of God. Pope Benedict XVI once remarked “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction” (Deus caritas est, no. 1). Thus, evangelization is not recitation of sacred text but the sharing of the friendship with Jesus Christ. There is a supreme goodness to this encounter that nourishes the soul, and with it an inherent joy of evangelization: “For if we have received the love which restores meaning to our lives, how can we fail to share that love with others?” (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, no. 8). The light Jesus calls us to be is a sign of His radiant love within us, yearning to be shared.
To better foster the sharing of Jesus Christ in Jackson our parish is hosting Father John Riccardo’s famous Rescue Project. This series focuses on the kerygma, or proclamation of the Gospel. Wonderfully presented in video format, it walks through four steps of salvation history: Created, Captured, Rescued, and Response. God created the world and all was good; unfortunately, our first parents Adam and Eve sinned, enslaving humanity to sin and death. But we were not abandoned: God implemented, you could say, a “Rescue Project” through a sequence of covenants culminating in the final covenant of His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. The series concludes with our response to divine revelation: will we repent, convert, and become disciples of Jesus Christ? The Rescue Project begins on February 25th and ends April 29th, occurring only on Wednesday nights in the parish hall. Each Wednesday night will feature one video of the program followed by reflective and provocative small group discussion. A light dinner will be provided, too. It is great for encountering Jesus Christ, enjoying Christian fellowship, and discerning discipleship; as such, it will have the benefit of running throughout the Lent and Easter seasons. If you are interested, stay tuned: there will be more information in the forthcoming weeks!
Jesus implores us to be the salt and light of the earth. The world needs the missionary effort of the Church to share God’s life and light. Let us prayerfully consider how the Holy Spirit, Our Advocate, wants to inspire us this Lenten season. If you feel called and do not know where to begin, I highly encourage attending the Rescue Project; it will not disappoint!