Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Be Salt, Light And A City Set On A Hill

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

St. Bridget Catholic Church, Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, February 5, 2023

After delivering what we have come to know as the Beatitudes, which is part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus compares his disciples to three things: salt, light, and a city set on a hill. Note that all three things exist not for themselves, but for something else. Let us look at salt. In Jesus’ time, salt was used to season and to preserve meat. Before refrigeration, salt was used as a preservative. It was also used to render earth infertile. When a conquering nation wanted to completely eliminate an enemy city, they will tear down its walls, burn its buildings to the ground, and then salt the earth so that nothing could ever grow there again. Rome did this to Carthage, an ancient city on the coast of North Africa near the present day Tunis. On its own, salt is not that valuable but it is valuable for what it does, and how it affects other things. On the other hand, light is not so much for itself, but we see things by it. It illuminates things to shine. In the ancient time, before maps, navigators or GPS, a city on the hill was a pointed navigation. Travelers used it to make their way to the land. But in our privatized and individualized culture, we tend to see religion or spirituality as something personal designed to make one’s life richer and better. There is a sense to which that is true. Religion does make our life richer and happier. But from a biblical standpoint, religion is like salt, light and a city set on a hill. Christianity is not a privatized or individualized religion. Yes, it is meant to transform an individual but it goes beyond the individual. Christians are called to be holy, but they are not meant so much to rest in their own holies. Their holiness is meant to be salt, light and a city set on a hill. We find salvation for ourselves precisely in the measure that we  bring God’s light to others. We followers of Jesus are meant to be salt in two ways: one, we are to preserve and enhance what is best in the society. Two, we are to undermine and destroy what is dysfunctional in the land. 

Are you wondering what your job in the world is? It is to preserve, highlight, and season what is best in the culture; and also to get out of the way what is radically dysfunctional in the culture. It is to be light even in the darkest places; it is to enlighten dark paths and be a conduit by which all, especially those dwelling in darkness eventually come to light. As disciples of Christ, our role ultimately is to lead people to God through the deeds of our life, and when necessary, through words. The world is in so much darkness; many people are losing their way. Authentic hope is fading; true love is disappearing; unconditional faith in God, faith in the Church, faith in Christianity etc. is diminishing. But by the integrity and quality of our life, we can point and lead people to the indispensable God. By the very integrity of our life, we can shine a spotlight on what is beautiful and highlight what is dysfunctional in the society. The clear implication is that without vibrant Christians, the world is in a much worse place. More to it, our job in the world is to be the city on a hill. How come? Without the guidance of Christians, we may not know what we are meant to be. We may not know what God wants. 

Is there anyone here who does not know that Christians are called by Jesus Christ to be salt, light and a city on the hill? If there are Christians who do not know of this, they are likely going to be in the minority. That means the vast majority of us know that we are called to be salt, light and the elevated city. The very important question then is this: how come some of the worst elements in the society were allowed to flourish among us? Look at the war in Ukraine. When Russia invaded its neighbor, Ukraine, the Russian Orthodox Church and some others in that region did not hesitate to throw their support behind Putin’s bloody war. Here in the US, some evangelical Christians, for some political reasons, are not forcefully speaking against the war. A good number of people who stormed and attacked the US Capital on January 6, 2021 are Christians. Some even went there with their Bibles. We must admit that Christianity in some sense has become so weak, so un-compelling that great evil is allowed to flourish. People have lost their way. How was slavery ever allowed to flourish especially here in America? To think that many Christians went to war against the US government in their desperate attempt to keep their slaves and to continue the evil of slavery is shockingly unbelievable. These and many other evils flourished simply because the vast majority of Christians allowed them or just didn’t care. A vibrant Christianity would have been salt robbed into the earth of those monstrous ideologies. A vibrant Christianity would have been light shining in the dark corners of slavery, racism, and dangerous ideologies. A vibrant Christianity would have been  a city set on a hill guiding those who want to know the right path. 

Think about the sad reality of gun violence that happens everyday around America. Think about the regular occurrence of police brutality. Think about the increasing racial tension in the land. Why is a vibrant Christianity not actively getting in the way in this affront to human dignity? Why is Christian Churches not rubbing salt to the earth of these evils? Why isn’t vibrant Christianity functioning as a city set on a hill? People take guidance from all sorts of places, so, why are they not taking guidance from Christian churches? Why is Christianity not strong enough to function as salt and light? In  today’s Gospel, Jesus’ important question: “…if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?” should really bother us a great deal. A weak Christianity is a disaster not just for Christians alone but for the world. When salt loses its taste, Jesus says it is of no good. Our responsibility as Christians is to impact the culture as salt, as light and as a city set on a hill. Is this challenging? Yes indeed! But don’t forget that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).