Dear Parishioners and Visitors,

When I looked ahead at the gospel passage we would hear this weekend, the first thing that came to my mind was the movies. The movies? Yes, and that’s kind of strange because I don’t go to the movies much these days. That’s to be expected, since we now have access to so many movies through various streaming platforms online. We can watch movies at home much more comfortably and economically than we can in a movie theater.

But I’m sure most of us are still familiar with the experience of going to a movie theater. And that’s where my mind went when I read our gospel (Matthew 5:13-16). Jesus said to his disciples (that’s us), “You are the salt of the earth…. You are the light of the world….”

So you go to the movie theater, you get your popcorn, and probably you get some of that butter-flavored stuff on it, and then you sprinkle some salt on it. The salt sticks to the kernels at the top of the container because of that buttery stuff, and it doesn’t shake down to the kernels below. The top kernels are too salty, and the kernels below aren’t salty enough.

And then there’s the issue of light. The theater darkens, the movie begins, and the next thing you know, you are distracted because someone seated in front of you is looking at their phone. Why did they bother to go to the movies if they were going to be looking at their phone?Will they ever be finished looking at their phone? Do they know, or care, that they are distracting the people around them with the light of their phone?

So that’s salt and light at the movies. Both of them can be a problem. But Jesus uses salt and light as positive things. We must be “salty”; in other words, we must make a difference in the world around us. And we must allow the light of our faith shine before others, for the glory of God.So much for the movies.

Okay, so Jesus wasn’t talking about going to the movies.However, we can use this application of the metaphors of salt and light to learn something about our Christian witness.Like salt, we are called to make a difference. But in order for this difference to bring others to Christ, it must not be too much and not be too little. The life of a good Christian is salted by their faith in such a way that their words and actions give a positive testimony to the love and mercy of God—not in an overbearing way, but in an attractive way.

The same is true of the light that must shine through us. It should not call attention to us (“See how great I am!”); rather, we should let the greatness of the Lord (the main feature, on the big screen) get the attention. The only light that should be seen on us should be the light of the main feature, as it is reflected on us.

Okay, so that’s what happens sometimes when I try to apply the beautiful metaphors of Jesus’ teaching to the experiences of daily life.But at least I’m meditating on those teachings, and that’s a good thing. I’ll see you at the movies. Or not.

Blessings,

Fr. Philip