Why do you worry when you have a very big God?

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the eight Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Holy Names of Jesus & Mary Catholic Church

Memphis, Tennessee

February 27, 2011

Philippians 4:6-7, says, “Do not worry about anything, instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

Psalms 55: 22 says, “Cast your all your burden upon the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.”1 Peter 5:7 says “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

Has there been a time in your life when things were so overwhelming that you could not sleep? Have there been times when you were so preoccupied with a problem that you were not able to function effectively well? Have there been issues in your life that dominated your thought? You thought about them all morning, all day, and all night, and sometimes you were lost in thought? If you have experienced any of these, then you have known worry and anxiety.

Being worried and being concerned do not mean the same thing. There is a difference! Concern leads to action. But worry is a dead-end street. It goes and leads nowhere. You can be concerned about something like preparing for retirement, saving for college, buying a new house or a new car, and you begin to make plans about these concerns. You can be concerned about your health, and you begin to eat healthy and exercise more regularly. You can be concerned about your children and you begin to get more involved in their lives, devoting more time to them and exposing them to the way of the Lord. But it is when your concerns become all- consuming and debilitating that you slip into worry. If the concerns of life are dominating us totally, affecting our relationship with God and others negatively, and affecting our productivity in our jobs, affecting our sleep at night, and affecting us physically, emotionally and spiritually then we have a big problem with worry and anxiety.

Worry or anxiety is a universal phenomenon; it is the greatest thief of joy and peace. Our Lord Jesus Christ in the gospel of John 14: 1-2 says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me, for in my Father’s house there are so many mansions.” And in today’s gospel from Matthew 6:25, the Lord says, “I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?”

Sometimes we scorn at people who tell us not to worry. We argue that it is easy to say that and a lot harder to do it. Recently a friend said to me, “One day a friend of mine called to tell me what she has been going through. After listening to her, I told her not to worry, instead should cast her problems unto the Lord because he cares a lot about her. As soon as I said that, she cut the call, I tried calling back severally; but she refused to pick my call; and other efforts to reach her failed because she refused to pick my calls. When eventually I met her in person, I asked why she was refusing to pick my call, and she bluntly said, “I hated and still hate your advice. I don’t want to hear that again please!” Some of us feel the same way towards people who tell us not to worry. We feel that people telling us not to worry do not understand our problem because if they did they too would also be worried.

But in today’s gospel, Jesus condemns worry and says that it is worthless and folly because it shows a lack of confidence in the ability of God. We worry because we doubt God. We worry because we walk by sight and not by faith. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “We walk by faith and not by sight.” We worry so much because our relationship with God is not unyielding. We worry because we are serving the god of worry; we worry because we are serving the god of materialism. We worry because we are not impeccably right with God. We worry because we are serving two masters, and we are not sure if any of them will come to our rescue. Jesus himself says in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” We worry because we don’t really know the God we serve. We have not entered into an intimate relationship with him. Our service of him is halfway.

Dearest beloved, worry is useless. Worry does not resolve any problem. Worry does not add any moment to our life-span instead it shortens our life. Worry is a gravedigger. Worry is the shovel of the gravediggers. Worry is a quick race to the bottom. Worry is wrong because it focuses on the wrong issues. The Lord says, “Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” As I said before, worry is worthless because it keeps one’s attention on the wrong things. For instance, a student gets so worried about graduation party that he or she misses the joy that comes from the accomplishment of graduating. Some of us worry so much about the winter weather that they don’t enjoy the present weather and do not enjoy the Christmas vacation with family. Some ladies worry so much about looking good that they are so absorbed with themselves and cannot even enjoy the people around them. Some of us worry so much about not having enough money that we fail to enjoy the journey of life and what life offers us at the present. We worry about old age that we don’t get to enjoy now that we are still young. We worry about death that we don’t get to enjoy the life we have now.

Worry fuddles our thinking. Trapped in the state of worry, we often look at situations with a magnifying glass which makes things bigger than they really are. Worry makes our situations bigger than God. Why worry when you have a very big God? The book of Isaiah 41:9-10 says, “…you are my servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my victorious and righteous hand.”

Worry is irreligious because it makes us loose sight of who we really are and who we belong to. Our Savior Jesus Christ tells us today that God is more than capable of taking care of us. God is abundantly able to guide us through. Why worry when we have a very big God? It is our God that cares for the birds, the flowers, and the animals. Therefore Jesus asks, “Are you not more important than they?...If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you…?” Worry belittles our God. When we worry we only show that we are less important to God than birds, flowers and animals. But we are not. We are more important. God takes care of us. Psalm 68:20 says, “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior who daily bears our burden.” Psalm 37:23-24 says, “Those whose steps are guided by the Lord, whose way God approves may stumble, but they will never fall, for the Lord upholds their hand.” Proverbs 16: 3 says, “Commit to the Lord your works and your plans will succeed.” Our heavenly Father knows all that we need. “Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.” Do not worry about tomorrow, for God knows tomorrow. In one of my Facebook updates I wrote, “We don't know what tomorrow holds for us, but we know who holds tomorrow. The one who holds tomorrow is no other person but the good God who loves us so much. Because the one who holds tomorrow is good, we have nothing to fear. Because the one who holds tomorrow loves us so much, we can set aside fear and embrace hope, hope in God who loves us and cares for us.”

Worry shows we don’t really trust God. Worry is as a result of doubt. Even after talking to God in prayer, we still feel we are not heard. We therefore doubt, and when we doubt, we fret and worry. The epistle of James 1: 6-8 says, “But when you pray, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. Such a person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” Worry is essentially a sin. By getting worried, we demonstrate two things- either God is not able and capable or God does not care. But scripture tells us that God is abundantly able. Ephesians 3: 20-21 says, “Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ever ask or imagine, by the power at work within us. To him be glory…forever and ever. Amen.” And 2 Corinthians 9: 8 says, “God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you will have abundance for every good work.” In Matthew 19: 26, Jesus says, “…with God all things are possible.” God also cares for us. Psalm 46:1-2 says, “God is our refuge and our strength, an ever present help in trouble.” And from 1 Peter 5: 7 we read, “Cast all your worry on to him, because he cares for you.”

Dearest beloved, worry is a wasted energy. There is nothing productive about worry. It is a journey to nowhere. It hinders us rather than help us. Worry leads to fear and can eventually paralyze us. Worry is like a cancer; it gradually eats up the faith of a believer. Worry can lead to agnosticism, apostasy and even atheism. Worry weakens physically, emotionally and spiritually. It robs one of happiness, peace and serenity. It affects one’s health; it causes ulcer, high blood pressure, heart problems, depression, crushing headaches, and colon distress. Worry makes it difficult and sometimes impossible for us to address the issues we should be doing something about.

To avoid worry, Jesus urges us “To seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all these things (food, clothes, house, money, jobs, life-partner etc) will be given you.” Seeking God first who is goodness ultimately leads to finding the good things of life. And finding the good things of life eliminates worry and anxiety that usually come as a result of their lack. To eliminate worry, St. Paul says in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not worry about anything, instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

St. Paul tells us to confront worry by prayer. Pray about everything, St. Paul says. There is no situation, circumstance, or problem that cannot be brought before our loving Father. Rather than talk to ourselves, we should talk to God. Worry is talking to one self; but prayer is talking to God. Rather than fret, talk to God. Instead of wasting your sleep, keep watch in prayer. Rather than waste your tears, pour out those tears at the feet of Jesus. Rather than put your hands on the head as you walk around in your house looking dejected, hold the hand of the Lord. Last year, I wrote on my Facebook page, “Hold that Hand! Grip that hand reaching out to you! Hold the hand of God. This life doesn't last forever. Don't wait any longer. You're better off holding God's hand. Are you miserable? Hold that hand! Is your life dark and cold, then, hold that hand. By holding that hand, things will get better. The hand of Jesus is your sunlight, your peace, your morning, your love and everything. Come, let's hold that hand, it's the hand of the Lord.”

Finally, I will not forget to tell you that worry or anxiety can be conquered by gathering with other members of the Church in the worship of God and in the sharing of the Word of God. The book of Hebrews 10:25 says, “Do not give up the habit of gathering together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another all the more as you see the Day is drawing near.” And Jesus himself said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three gather together in my name, I am there among them.” If we stop worrying, instead start turning to God with an unyielding trust of a child to the father, then, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). Remember, the Scripture did not tell us that all our problems will go away. We are not told that we will immediately comprehend the problems we are going through. We are not told that by turning to God, all human problems will go away. No! earthly life comes with the cross. The Lord himself said in Matthew 16: 24, “If any of you wants to be my disciple, you must deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.” In Luke 14:27, he says, “And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” So turning to God does not exterminate life’s problems. But by turning to God, worry is replaced by faith; anxiety gives way to peace; doubt is replaced by trust and confidence, and fear gives way to hope. With that we can loudly and confidently say with Job, “I know my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth” (Job 19:25).

May the Mother of Perpetual Help pray for us!

“I have not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them”

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the 6^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Holy Names of Jesus & Mary Catholic Church

Memphis, TN, USA

February 13, 2011

In Matthew 5:7, Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

In Romans 3:28 & 31, St. Paul says, “For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from observing the law.” “Do we then nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.”

There is a story of two Buddhist monks who were travelling along a muddy road in torrential rain. They came upon a beautiful girl who was unable to cross to the other side of the road due to the mud. The first monk lifted her in his arms and carried her over. The girl expressed her gratitude for the help rendered to her. The two monks continued on their way. As they continued in the journey, neither of them spoke until they neared their destination. Then the second monk who watched as his brother monk lifted the girl to the other side of the road spoke out, “We monks don’t go near women. And why did you lift that girl over the mud? See, I don’t like the way you carried her!” The monk who lifted the girl said to him, “I left the girl back there in the road, but you are still carrying her.”

Dearest beloved, this story exemplifies what Jesus is teaching us in today’s Gospel. We cannot base our morality on law alone. It is on the direction of our heart that we will ultimately be judged. If our heart is in the right place, deeply rooted in God, we will not even think of calling our brother or sister a fool, let alone killing him or her. If our hearts are pure, we will not allow ourselves to be trapped in day-dreaming, dreaming lustfully about a woman or a man we met on our way. A pure heart does not engage in “a mental undressing of the other,” that means using the mind to strip a woman or a man naked and then going into a fantasy of romance. A heart that is pure will not indulge in that let alone commit adultery. No wonder Jesus says in Matthew 5: 8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” The obedience of the law should and must go beyond the mere external observance of the law.

Jesus says he had not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it. By this Jesus means he came to bring out the real meaning of the Law. Jesus came to give the law a meaning. He came to explain the full meaning of the law and to also teach us how the law should be obeyed. When we take a look at the Ten Commandments which are the foundation of all law, we can see that their whole meaning can be summed up in one word- respect or reverence. Reverence for God, reverence for God’s name, reverence for God’s day, respect for parents, respect for life, respect for property, respect for personality, respect for the truth, respect for another person’s good name, respect for oneself so that wrong desires may never master us. These are the fundamental principles behind the Ten Commandments- reverence for God, respect for others and for ourselves. (Idea from William Barclay’s “The Gospel of Matthew”, Vol. 1, Revised Edition)

Jesus says he has not come to destroy the law and the prophets but to fulfill them. The old law states “You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.” But Jesus goes even further by saying “Whoever is angry with his brother (or sister) will be liable to judgment.” We should not be so angry with our brother, or sister or spouse to the point of cursing them out. James 3: 9 says, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who have been made in the image of God.” We should not be so angry with someone to the point of decimating the person’s character. It is not only the bullet or the dagger that kills, the tongue also can kill. Proverbs 18: 21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” With the tongue, we can destroy a family, a church and even set a community ablaze. With the tongue, a long time friendship can be scattered. The tongue is the tool of saying the truth and also the tool of spreading lies and gossips. The killers are not only those who kill with guns and bullets, the gossips and busybodies are part of it. In Romans 1:29, St. Paul lists gossips as one of serious sins. Then Proverbs 20:19 says, “A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man or woman who talks too much.” Proverbs 11: 12-13 says, “A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue. A gossip betrays a confidence, but trustworthy person keeps a secret.” The Bible also tells us in Proverb 16: 18 that “A perverse person stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.”

So the teaching about murder includes murder of one’s character, reputation and integrity. To such people, the Lord says, “You will be liable to fiery Gehenna.” As human beings, people, events, situations etc can upset us. But Ephesians 4:26 says, “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.” Out of uncontrolled anger, you may destroy yourself or others. Out of uncontrolled anger, murderous words could be uttered. Certain words can also kill. The gun could destroy the human body, but there is another murder that breaks both the body and the spirit. It is the murder of the tongue sometimes engineered by uncontrolled anger. James 3: 5 says, “The tongue is the smallest part of part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest it set on fire by a small spark” The murder of the tongue can recreate someone in the eyes of others. The murder of the tongue can give a different identity to someone; it can even give a new name and title to someone. The person walks about thinking that all is well, not knowing that someone else has already destroyed his or her reputation, thereby giving him another image before others.

The Lord says he has not come to destroy the law and the prophets but to fulfill them. The old Law says, “You shall not commit adultery.” But Jesus explained the law deeper by saying, “Everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Adultery is a gross violation of the solemn promise made between a man and his wife before God and before God’s people. It is a violation of trust. Ultimately, it is a sin against God the Institutioner of marriage; it is a sin against Jesus the Redeemer of marriage; it is a sin against the Holy Spirit the Sanctifier of marriage and whose Temples we are; it is a sin against humanity too and human beings’ sense of decency. Adultery breaks the matrimonial bond. It wreaks the spiritual foundation of marriage. It makes nonsense the sanctity of marriage. When a man and his wife indulge in sexual relationship, it is not sex but a love-making. Adultery rejects that. Adultery is a lie.

Adultery is an illicit romance between a person who is married and a person other than the person’s spouse. It is the sin of infidelity. And do you know that adultery is not only a violation of marital fidelity between a man and woman? Adultery can also occur in our relationship with God. 2 Timothy 2:13 has already told us that God will remain faithful to us even if we are unfaithful. Unfaithfulness to God is adultery. We are in a relationship of love with Jesus Christ. Hosea 2:19 says, “I will betroth you to myself forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion.” In 2 Corinthians 11:2, St. Paul says, “For I am jealous of you with the jealousy of God, since I have betrothed you to one husband to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”

Dearest beloved, we are also in a relationship of love with Jesus Christ our Redeemer. So any unfaithfulness to him is a form of adultery. Scripture tells us that Jesus Christ is the Bridegroom and we are the bride. We are in a spiritual union of marriage with Jesus Christ. This marriage with the Lord occurred during our baptism. At baptism we promised to be faithful to him; at confirmation, we promised to rather die than betray him. We promised to die in defense of him. And each time we receive the Eucharist, we demonstrate we are still faithful to him. Therefore any unfaithfulness to him is adultery. Fornication is adultery; unlawful divorce is adultery; false oat is adultery; telling lies is adultery; deception is adultery; incest adultery; homosexual behavior is adultery; stealing is adultery; murder is adultery, the murder of the tongue is also adultery. Every sin is adultery since every sin is unfaithfulness to God. Adultery in human marriage breaks the promise of fidelity made at marriage. In the same vein, sin breaks the promise to be faithful made at baptism.

Jesus has come not to destroy the law and the prophets, but to deepen their meaning. He came to explain the meaning of the law. The Lord came to show us that in actual life the law means being pure in heart, having reverence for God and respect for all human persons. This reverence and respect do not merely consist in obeying a litany of rules and regulations, but in possessing a pure heart. Reverence to God and respect to people consist not in burnt offering, but in mercy, not legalism but in love, not in a long prohibitions, but in molding ones life on the beautiful commandment to love. The new rule is no longer “Thou shall not…” but “Thou shall.” The emphasis is on doing good with a pure heart. In the long run good will conquer evil. Keeping the letters of the law is not enough; being pure in heart is what really counts. Remember, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

We are the salt and the light of the world

We are the salt and the light of the world

Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the 5^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

African Catholic Community in Memphis

February 6, 2011

In the John 8: 12 Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

In Matthew 5:14-16, the Lord says to his followers, “You are the light of the world…” (Therefore) let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

When I was going through the initial formation to become a religious priest, I got a call one warm afternoon from a high school girl named Loretta. As soon as I picked her call, she said, “Brother Marcel, please I have a burning question I want to ask you.” “Go ahead!” I said to her. “Who is a Christian and how do we know who is a Christian?” she asked. For a moment, I was little bit rattled by her question because I did not know the reason for the question. I have been close to her and her family for about two years, so for a moment I said to myself, “I hope I have not done or said anything unconsciously that scandalized her, hence the question?” Well, I still answered her question. I told her that a Christian is that person who is kind, merciful, honest, god-fearing, compassionate, tolerant, who struggles to overcome his or her weaknesses in order to become better than anyone else. I also told her that a Christian is that person who tries to be like Jesus. I concluded by saying to her, “If you want to know who a Christian is, then look for those virtues.” Then I asked her why she asked the question in the first place. She now told me about a woman I also know. She was childless, but was living with one small boy. This woman virtually slept in church. She attended every activity in church, and was even a staunch member of a Catholic prayer ministry. She was always with her rosary and her Bible. Sometimes she dressed like a nun, and you can easily mistake her to be one. But in all these, she was unbelievably wicked to the little boy living with her. She starved him regularly at the least provocation, and even made him sleep outside the house sometimes. There was nothing Christian with the manner she treated the boy. She maltreated and hurt him so bad that he looked so emaciated. He would give him heavy loads to carry for her and made him walk a long distance to where she had a shop. I tried once to talk to her about her cruel treatment of the boy but she scolded and warned me sternly to stay clear. This woman (usually called Mama Ibe) was everything to this boy (his name is Ibe) but good and caring. She wasn’t a salt and a light to him. So the young Loretta wondered how Mama Ibe could spend so much time in church praying and listening to the gospel preached yet maltreated the small boy living with her so badly. I remember at the end of the conversation she said to me, “If what you just said is who a Christian is, then Mama Ibe is not one. She is simply deceiving herself and others.”

There is another story of a father who was teaching his son what a Christian should be like. He taught his son that a Christian is the salt of the earth and the light of the world and few other things. At the end of the lesson, the father realized that he has dug a big hole for himself because the little boy then asked him, “But daddy, how come I have never met one of these Christians?”

Dearest sisters and brothers like Loretta and the little boy our Lord Jesus Christ challenges us today with two very vivid images of what it means to be a Christian. The Lord says to us, “You are the salt of the earth,” “You are the light of the world.”

Let’s look at salt for a moment. Salt is something that is very common, and unless for medical reasons, it’s something we put in everything we cook. Of all the seasonings we use for cooking, salt is the most important. Without salt in a food, it lacks real taste. Salt makes our food taste better. It is a seasoning that enhances the flavor of food. Jesus wants us to be the seasoning that spices up life. Life is not all about gloom, doom and fear. Wherever there’s gloom, we are to sow hope, hope in the Lord. Christians should be the most optimistic people in the world. We are optimistic because He lives. Because our Redeemer lives, we can face tomorrow. We are optimistic because we have Jesus in our lives. With Jesus in our lives, we will always rejoice and be glad. 1 John 5:12 says “Whoever has the Son has life.” Jesus wants us to bring hope where there is cynicism. The Lord wants us to sow joy where there is sadness. In our depressed world where so many people are depressed, the Christian man or woman should be serene and full of life. And by your serenity, you teach and show others the Reason (Jesus) for your peace and stability. Even in the face of trial and tribulation, the Lord wants us to speak with Job in Job 19:25, “I know my Redeemer lives and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.” Salt brings out the taste of food. Our Lord wants us to be the flavor that brings out the best in everyone. Jesus wants us to bring out the best in us, and the best in the world he has created. He wants us to give human life a meaning.

In the ancient world, salt was also used as preservatives. Before refrigeration and canning became the order of the day, meat and fish were preserved either dried or smoked or it was heaped with salt. Salt was therefore used as preservatives, to preserve meat and fish for a long time. It was used to preserve and keep them fresh and free from corruption. Dearest beloved, Jesus wants us to preserve the world from becoming bad. The Lord wants us to preserve the family, to preserve human life, to preserve the church, to preserve our bodies, to preserve truth. Jesus wants us to be preservatives that can preserve the biblical standard of morality. He wants us to have a certain antiseptic influence on life. We must influence the world and not the other way round. In this fleeting time we have, we must strive to be preservatives, preserving those age-long truths and faith of our Fathers. We should not lower the standard Jesus has set for us just for us to belong in this crazy world. We can accommodate the other without tolerating behaviors that go contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are called to be the cleansing antiseptic in our communities. Our presence should bring about the defeat of evil, corruption, and immorality.

Salt was also used as curative. It has some medicinal value. Too much of salt can trigger high blood pressure, but salt deficiency can cause so many other diseases too. Before modern medicine, salt was used as antiseptic. Salt was often poured into an open wound to clean any impurities. Salt cures. By asking us to be the salt of the earth, Jesus is also asking us to be healers. He wants us to heal and cure the brokenhearted, the depressed, the lonely, the hungry, the bereaved, and those who experience the tragedy of life. As followers of Christ, we should not be indifferent to the pain of the other just because it is not happening to us. When one person suffers, we all suffer. Remember, we are the Body of Christ. The pain in the hand affects the entire body. The tragedy of the other should be the tragedy of all. Indifference is not a virtue. Silence is golden but not when you notice discrimination and maltreatment of another person. Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere.” We are called to be curative agents, agents of healing. We are to spread the message of hope and forgiveness, the message of our Savior who heals all who are hurt and wounded. The best cure we can render to our offenders is forgiveness. Salt also creates thirst. We are called to make people thirst for Jesus, thirst for righteousness and goodness. We are called to season the world with the flavor of grace, mercy, kindness, friendship and decency.

Jesus also said we are the light of the world, and we are to put our light on the lamp-stand so that everyone in the house can see it. So the Lord is not only asking us to preserve the world from deteriorating, he also wants us to influence the world positively, to shed light on the darkness of the world. But remember that the light that radiates or shines from us is the light of Christ. We have no light of our own. Psalm 36: 9 says “For you (Lord) are the fountain of life, and in your light we see light.” So what we say or do can allow the light of Christ to shine or hinder or dim it from shinning brightly enough. In the gospel of John 9:5, Jesus says “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” By faith we believe that Jesus is still present in the world. He is still with us and in us. So, if his light is not shinning out, then we are the reason why it is not. As I already said, our words and action can allow the light of Christ to shine out or hide it from shinning.

Now when our Lord said we must be light, what exactly does he mean? Let’s remember that a light is something that is easily seen. The houses in Palestine in the time of Jesus were very dark because they had just one circular window not more than eighteen inches across. Normally the light stood on the lamp-stand. During the day when everyone is going out, for safety’s reason, the light was taken away from its lamp-stand and put under an earthen bushel so that it could burn without risk until they come back. The reason why the light is not always put off is because it was not an easy task to put on the light. There was no electricity or matches then. The primary duty of the light of the lamp was to be seen.

Christianity is something that should be seen. A Christian should be seen and known. There can be nothing like secret discipleship. Our Christianity should be visible to all. Have you ever noticed the way some Catholics pray when they are in a restaurant? They virtually bury their heads between their lap and under the table as they rush in making the sign of the cross. Obviously they do not want those around to notice that they are praying. What a shame! Do not forget the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:33, “Whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father in heaven.” Again, Christianity should not be visible only in the Church. A Christianity that stops at the church is worthless. A Catholic should be a Catholic in the factory, in the restaurant, in the workshop, in the classroom, in the kitchen, in the office, in the golf-course, in the hospital, in the library, and everywhere. St Augustine once closed his Mass with these words, “I am about to lay aside this book and you are soon going away, each to your own business. It has been good for us to share our common light, good to have enjoyed ourselves, good to have been glad together. When we part from one another, let us not depart from Him.”

Dearest beloved, a light is a guide. The Lord wants us to be a shinning example to others. Light exposes and reveals. The light of Christ exposes our need for salvation. We are also to expose and reveal to others their need of salvation of the Savior. The light of Christ shinning in and through us reveals where the dangers are and where safety, direction and new life can be found. Since light is a guide, and Jesus wants us to be the light of the world, it means that the Lord wants us to be the guide of the nations. We are to be the voice of the Lord speaking the words of prophet Isaiah in 55:4, “Say to those who are fearful hearted, do not be afraid, your God is coming to destroy your enemies, he will come to save you.”

Today’s gospel is a continuation of last Sunday’s gospel which was the Beatitude. After giving that sermon which is regarded as the greatest sermons of Jesus Christ, the Lord continues today by saying, “You are the salt of the earth”, “You are light of the world.” And I will end my homily by connecting last week gospel reading to today’s gospel reading:

The disciple who is poor in spirit is the light of the world; in humility he radiates the humility of Jesus. Even in your riches and wealth, be humble. Jesus is owner of everything, yet he was humble. Psalm 24: 1 tells us that “The earth and everything in the world belong to God.” In Haggai 2: 8 the Lord says, “The silver and the gold are mine.”

The disciple who mourns and grieves for the faithlessness in the world is the salt of the earth. With passion and zeal for the God, she yearns to give life a meaning.

The disciple who is meek is the light of the world because he lets Jesus and others come first before him. And you know, Jesus, others, and you produce JOY.

The disciple who hungers and thirsts for righteousness is the salt of the earth; salt brings thirst. She thirsts for Jesus and makes others thirst for him as well.

The disciple who is merciful is the light of the world. In this wicked world where there is a great passion for litigation, he shines his guiding light of tolerance and forgiveness.

The disciple who’s clean of heart is the salt of the earth. Salt is a preservative in the time of Jesus. From a clean heart, she strives to preserve truth, honesty and life.

The disciple who is a peacemaker is the light of the world. Deeply rooted in the Prince of peace, he acts not like a peace-breaker or a peace-fakers but a peacemaker.

Finally the faithful servants of the Lord who are the salt of the earth and the light of the world are usually persecuted for their uprightness. But do not be afraid of those who can kill the body but cannot destroy the soul. Remember, our God is coming with vengeance to destroy our enemies. Because you are the salt of the earth, because you are the light of the world, you will preserve your life here and hereafter; your light will also shine till eternity. The good that we do lives after us. At the end of every Mass, the presiding priest says, “Go, our celebration is ended.” With these words we are all sent to go and live out what we have prayed, sung and heard. We are sent forth to go out and add seasoning and flavor to the lives of many, and to let the light of Christ shine through us.

God bless you all!