This weekend we hear “Your light must shine before others, so that, they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:13-16) This reiterates the first reading’s call to serve all those in need—the hungry and the homeless—being one with our brothers and sisters just as a family is one. Christ became One with us to share in our human life and death so that we might share one day in His eternal and glorified life in heaven.

Preparing for this weekend’s homily, I came across a story about a church built high in the mountains of Switzerland. This small remote village in the clouds needed a new church and so the villagers put to work in erecting a house of worship. During the build they realized that they could not install electricity since the church was so remote from the source of electricity and the expense of bringing in power was beyond their ability. They built the church anyway. When it came time for evening worship, the parishioners would bring their own lanterns and lights and hang them on pegs in the walls. The dark church would become ablaze with light. When the parishioners left, taking their lanterns, the church would grow dark. As they walked out of the church at the end of worship and headed home—the light left the church with the people and it was then that the church building truly became a church—as the light from within went out into the world.

Jesus says that we “are the light of the world and the salt of the earth.” What an incredible image. This is what our Church teaches us—and calls us to be: God’s light in the world. The Christian faith as a whole and the Catholic faith in particular, call us to enliven our faith beliefs with good works of mercy. In the Catholic tradition, we are known for our works of charity and compassion, whether they are a mix of Catholics, Christians or Jews or Muslims or even unbelievers—what matters is that they are human and in need. We are called to light up the lives of others with meaning.

All that the Lord wants is that we become the people He created us to be As Saint Catherine of Siena said, “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the whole world on fire.” He wants us to become light for other people, and salt to inspire others. All Christ wants is that we follow Him and witness to what we believe.

God makes us the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Salt, however, does not exist for its own sake. No one sits down to eat salt and salt alone. Salt is a seasoning. It is meant to preserve and flavor the food that people eat. And in the same way light is not meant to be looked at, it is not meant to be covered and treasured like some precious object: it is given so that people might see what is around them and walk in safety—it is meant to penetrate and overcome darkness. In other words, we are not saved just for ourselves, but to be tools and assistance for others: this is doing the work of God.

The examples of “light” and “salt” in our Catholic Church and in our parish in particular are bright and tasty. When we see our Catholic hospitals care for the poor and underprivileged, when we see our urban Catholic schools educate poor and immigrant children, when battered women are welcomed and protected in shelters, when youth feed the hungry and visit the elderly, when prayer shawls are knitted with care for the grieving and the wounded, when Knights of Malta offer medical care to the indigent, when the Catholic food pantries and homeless shelter kitchens prepare hot meals for the lost, and when counseling is offered to anyone at the end of their rope—then the light of Christ shines brightly in a world that is far too dark. When we believe and act in faith, then we will be full of light and salt to illumine and preserve the world.