Salt and the Light of the Earth: 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sermon by Emmanuel Suntheni OSB – Fifth Sunday In Ordinary Time – Year A
Sermon And Christian Act In The Word
Theme: You are the Salt and the Light of the Earth! “Salting and Lighting the Earth”!
Point of Reflection: Am I like “salt and light” to my friends, family and community? In what way? Today’s scriptural readings invite us to be good disciples by being be the light and the salt to others. In our Christian action on Word today, we will focus on the qualities of salt and light. This is the central teaching of Jesus today. But before we examine the qualities of salt and light, let us exegetically understand the Scriptures of today.
First Reading: Isaiah 58:7–10
Psalm: Psalm 12:4–9
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:1–5
Gospel: Matthew 5:13–16
Sermon (Reflection): Matthew today teaches us that true discipleship affects the world. First, discipleship means “being the salt of the earth”; second, discipleship means “being the light of the world”, that is, serving as an example of faith in order to guide others towards God. For all true believers, the task of discipleship is primarily a matter of “salting the earth”, that is, affecting and changing the world. As a Christian, am I salting and lighting the earth?
In today’s gospel, Matthew employs these two metaphors, salt and light, to emphasise that Christian discipleship must affect the world. Salt exists for one purpose – to alter the taste of food; it is meant to effect change. If it does not accomplish this task, if it loses its “saltiness” and does not bring about a change, it is no longer salt. The same applies to discipleship; if it does not affect the surrounding world by changing it according to the pattern set by Christ, it is no longer discipleship.
The metaphor of light conveys a similar message. Biblically, the light usually relates to revelation and faith. The city on a hilltop is clearly visible, particularly at night. Because of its position and its shining lights, it dispels darkness and provides orientation. Likewise, the very purpose of a lamp is to illuminate and be seen. Hiding the lamp or covering the light removes the very reason for its existence. Using these images, Matthew emphasises that the very reason for discipleship is its visibility. It is meant to provide orientation for others with the purpose of leading them to faith and a change of lifestyle. In the Christian community of Matthew’s day, this was often a matter of life and death. Publicly demonstrating faith in Jesus could bring about persecution and even death. However, even in spite of these real dangers, Matthew insists that the faith of a disciple can be called “faith” only when it affects society and the world at large.
In the second reading of today, we hear of Paul’s conversation with the Corinthians, where he addressed the question of his approach to the proclamation of the Gospel. In the ancient world, one of the most important and prized skills was the art of speaking persuasively. Greek speakers prided themselves on the ability to prove any point they wished with skilful rhetoric. It is likely that some of his adversaries had accused Paul of manipulating the Corinthians through rhetoric, so that they would welcome Paul and accept his message. Paul strongly denies such charges. He points to his meek demeanour when he stood among them. He spoke without appeal to persuasive words and rhetorical conventions. Rather, he delivered the Gospel through “a demonstration of the Spirit and the power.”
The truthfulness of his message was proven not by persuasive and manipulative words, but through showing the Gospel he preached at work in his own person. He characterised his life as totally centred on Christ crucified. This commitment and pattern of life transformed him, and the effects of that change could be seen in his life. He did not provide details at this point, but we know what he meant from his second letter to the Corinthians. God’s Spirit and power led him to devote his life completely to the cause of preaching the Gospel and developing the faith of others. This is best seen in 2 Corinthians 11:23-29, where the Apostle describes how he continuously puts his very life on the line in order to carry the Gospel to the world. He stopped at nothing in order that the Gospel might be preached and accepted. His faith was effective through absolute devotion to the task of bringing others to Jesus Christ, and thus transforming the world and society, according to God’s design set forth in Christ.
The words of the prophet Isaiah in the first reading need to be read in connection with the passage that precedes it, namely, Isaiah 58:1-7. The logic behind Isaiah’s teaching is that one’s personal contact and worship of God must translate into one’s involvement with the world and fellow human beings. Thus, through a believer, God himself becomes involved in the affairs of this world, answers prayers and bestows blessings. Effective faith manifests itself in making the lives of others better, particularly those in need. For Isaiah, piety for its own sake misses the mark because it does not infuse the world with God’s presence. True believers, by a holistic practice of their faith, in both religious and social spheres, bring God’s presence into the world and change its face.
Christian Act in Word of God “May I be the Light and Salt”
Light is indispensable for life itself, while salt makes our food tastier. As Christians, are we the light? Are we the salt to others? We will focus our reflection on salt and explore four of its qualities that reflect how we can make life more distinctive and special.
To begin with, salt is white in colour. In the scriptures, “whiteness” symbolises holiness and purity. The Gospel of Mathew states, “blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”. As the salt of the earth, we ought to be pure of heart. However, how can we be pure of heart in a world with so many temptations placed before us daily? Is purity possible when we so frequently fall into sin? Yes, purity is possible by daily examination of conscience and a frequent celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation. These practices educate us to make the right choices and wash away our sins so that we remain pure.
The second property of salt is flavour. We use salt in almost every meal. Like salt, we are called to give flavour to the world. Life in the world ceases to have meaning if we do things merely following daily routines. We can “spice up” and give taste to the world in two ways. First, Isaiah states that God is not interested in a “lip service piety” shown only in prayers, fasting and fulfilling religious duties. These are important, but must be linked with attention and care for the needy and vulnerable among us. The second way is sharing words of encouragement with those who have lost zeal for living, because they no longer see any sense or value in what they are doing. Life will be experienced differently by those we touch in such ways.
Salt has healing properties. When we cut ourselves or have a wound in the mouth, the sting of salt on the wound helps it to heal faster. As Christians, we are to “sting” the world with the necessary criticism and correction when things are not done in a just and charitable way. Hatred, jealousy, oppression and exploitation hurt our communities and families. We are called to be healers, but healing sometimes involves an initial “sting” required to begin the healing process.
Finally, salt is also used to preserve food from rot and decay. As Christians, we are expected to preserve our world and society from getting rotten through corruption, moral decay, tribalism, racism and self-centeredness. Salting the earth implies that Christians should function as a “moral antibiotic”. We administer “salt” by presenting examples of high moral standards and a lifestyle defined by Christ’s teaching. The world is rotten when no one has the courage to distinguish right from wrong and declare it openly and courageously. We are called to bring moral clarity and safeguard moral values, and support a dignified human lifestyle.
As Christians, Jesus is warning us not to lose our saltiness. We can easily lose it if we do not remain in God’s presence through listening to his word. Be the Salt and the Light to others.
Action: Today, I will change my life and be the salt and light to my family and friends.
Prayer: Almighty God, we thank you for the gift of life, our families, and our friends, and we thank you for sending us Your Son, who is telling us today that we must be the light and salt on earth. May we be the Light and Salt to our families, friends, and in our societies, bringing love and peace to this world. Send us your Holy Spirit to redeem us. Amen.
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- Salt and the Light of the Earth: 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time - February 6, 2026
