Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Jesus is so wonderfully matter-of-fact when he addresses the disciples in today’s Gospel passage. He is not telling them that they can be the salt of the earth or they can be the light of the world. He is not saying that they could fulfill their potential or that they should set “salt and light” as personal goals. Instead, he is announcing to them that they are the salt of the earth, that they are the light of the world.
That is to say, we are. We are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. As the community of disciples called by Jesus, this is who we are. Thanks to Jesus, this is our identity.
But notice that this identity is a very public identity. We have a very public purpose, very public responsibilities. Jesus could not be clearer that our saltiness, our shining forth, is not to be simply a private or personal matter. As the Church, we are not to keep our salt and light behind doctrinal walls or under wraps in our bushel basket of purity. Instead, we are to be salt and light for all to savor and all to see.
I grew up in a tradition (and as an adult attended churches) that drew very sharp sectarian lines between “us” and “them,” between “the true Christians” and “the world.” And there is no question that such dualism can be found in this passage and in other Gospel passages.
That said, in reading this passage today I am quite struck by the phrases “of the earth” and “of the world.” For the Church to really be the Church – for us to be the disciples that Jesus says we are – we must be with our fellow human beings. We are not outside or against “the world.” For us to be salt and light we must embrace our common humanity, and we must seek the common good. For the love of others and for the glory of God.
- William Trollinger
He is a Professor of History at the University of Dayton where he teaches in the interdisciplinary Core Program (which he also directs) and directs Ph.D. dissertations in Theology. His research focuses on the history of evangelicalism and fundamentalism. He and his wife, Susan Trollinger (also at UD), recently published a book with Johns Hopkins entitled Righting America at the Creation Museum. Together, they have four children, three grandchildren, and two cats.