You are the salt of the earth…the light of the world.
You have what you need to bring light into the dark corners of our world. You have what you need to be salt, preserving and giving flavor to life.
I say that with great confidence. Not because I know your qualifications, life experience or education. But because Jesus – the very light of the world – said it himself. He is faithful to his word. He knows what you need, and he offers you everything necessary. When we profess that Jesus is the one Savior of the world, we profess that in him – and nowhere else – is everything we need to live a full, complete and happy life.
We are easily intimidated by the problems in our lives and in the world. In the face of those problems, we can look to the world for answers. And the world is more than content to capture and keep our attention. The endless news cycle, doom-scrolling on social media, these are simply modern-day gossip that stirs up our hearts and minds, filling them with information that may or may not be true. But in itself, that cycle cannot give us wisdom.
“In the world, you will have trouble. But do not be afraid – I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Jesus knows what we face. As he did on that mountain 2000 years ago, he continues to invite us to begin with him, to listen to his voice, and to go into the world with the power he gives us. The crowd that gathered around Jesus when he gave the Sermon on the Mount had taken a step away from the problems of the world and its noise to listen to the voice of the One who created the world by his Word. There is nothing in the entire world beyond the reach and power of Him who sat down to teach us on the mountain.
I want to be in that crowd, listening to his voice. But I can give in to the noise of the world, and let that noise drown out his voice. Yet the world itself would not even exist if his Word did not hold it in existence.
Every Wednesday evening, we have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament from 5-9 pm, and every First Friday from 9 am-12 pm. Soon, we will have an Adoration Chapel, accessible throughout the day for prayer. Eucharistic adoration is a powerful way of coming away from the world for a moment, not to escape it, but to bring it to the feet of Jesus. And from Him to receive the light and salt we need to bring back into this world that He created and loved to the end.
Come to him, bring him all your needs. And receive from Him all that you need.
-Fr. Tom
