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Our Lady of Victory
490 Charles Street
Gatineau, Québec
J8L 2K5
(819)986-3763
olv@videotron.ca
Mass: Sunday 9:00 AM
Thursday 10:00 AM |
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St. Malachy
3889 Route 315
Mayo, Québec
J8L 3Z8
(819)986-3763
olv@videotron.ca
Mass: Saturday 7:00 PM
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Fr. Albanus’ Reflections on the Sunday Liturgy |
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| Be the Salt! Share the Light! |
Can a person have an identity separate from their Christian identity? Have you ever met a person who has one identity on Sunday but a different identity during the week? I believe our true self, when we are most authentic, is when we are rooted in Christ.
Who we are, is who we are in Christ; and the readings this Sunday encourage that authenticity. They speak about our two-fold mission to the world, to be the Salt and to be the Light. The first reading from the prophet Isaiah stresses the importance of sharing the light. The Israeli exiles have returned but they have a complaint against God: “Why have we fasted if you did not see, why mortify if you never notice?” (Is.58:3). Isaiah tells them that genuine fasting is related not only to God but to their neighbor. Their fasting should include sharing their food with the hungry, sheltering the homeless and clothing the naked. When they do these - then your light will shine like the dawn and your wound will be quickly healed over. The practice of religion, therefore, must include God and their neighbor.
The message of sharing the light is also echoed in the Gospel of the Sermon on the Mount. In this Gospel, Jesus continues to instruct His disciples. Discipleship is not only about a right relationship with God but also about a relationship with other people. Discipleship is not a personal privilege; it is for the benefit of others and the glory of God. Firstly, He calls them the Salt of the earth. In Jesus’ time Salt was connected with purity, because it was white and it came from the purest of all things, the sun and the sea. Salt was the commonest of all preservatives in the ancient times when there were no fridges and freezers. Salt lends flavor to food. As the salt of the earth, the Christian must be an example of purity in words, in conduct and in thought. As salt, the Christian is called to preserve the Faith which he/she has received and pass it on intact to others. The Christian as the salt should lend flavor to the earth. In a worried and depressed world, the Christian should be the one who remains full of joy, conveying it to others. He/she should make the world palatable, not just to others but also to God. Christians should preserve the cultural values and moral principles Jesus has given us and so contribute to the development of cultural and social life. As salt seasons and preserves food, the Christian should help to improve the tone of the society, preserve the Faith and extend the fire of the Spirit through evangelization efforts. If a Christian fails in this regard then they become like flat insipid salt that is wholly useless.
Secondly, Jesus calls His disciples the Light of the world. By this, He tells them to be like Him, the One who is the Light of the world. The disciples and Christians should be luminaries reflecting the One True Light, just as the moon reflects the light of the sun. Jesus is confident that His disciples have something which is worth showing and sharing. Light is not a private energy; it is not for hiding or hoarding. As Christians we must not hide the light which God has lit in our lives. A light is meant to be seen. Christians must be visible like a “city” on a hilltop and a lamp on a “lamp stand.” Our Christianity should be visible in the ordinary activities of the world. As the light, the Christians must make the way clear to others; they must be an example. They should be a warning light to others to halt when there is danger ahead. As light the Christian should expose everything hidden by darkness. When we share our Light with others, another Christian is born! Are we Christians who are carrying the Light which can be seen, the Light which warns, the Light which guides?
Happy Sunday!
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