You are the salt of the earth...You are the light of the world.

by Fr. Jerome Cayetano  |  02/08/2026  |  The WORD in other words

Fr. Guido and I are living together at the parish rectory for more than a month. We cook our food together especially breakfast, eat our meals together, not to mention, and pray together. We are one small community...partners in doing God's work. I must admit that Fr. Guido is a better cook than me. In cooking, we often use salt and pepper. We know that salt is an important ingredient in cooking for it adds flavor.

Jesus, in today's Gospel, compares us Christians to be the "salt of the earth" and the "light of the world". What does Jesus mean when he compares us to these realities?

Well, in the context of the Beatitudes, it means that we have to add flavor to the life of our brothers and sisters through our genuine, strong and deep faith. We are not only called to add flavor, but preserve it like the salt that is used in preserving meat or fish. The salt loses its purpose when it tries to give flavor or preserve itself. The salt gives flavor or preserves when it is given...So, also with our life...it becomes purposeful and meaningful only, when it is given for others.

In the book of Revelation, Christ warns the Church of Laodicea that it has become inactive and tepid in its faith: "Because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth". (Rev 3:16) Thus, we truly become the "salt of the earth,” when our faith, action and conviction are fully alive and active with gusto. But in order for us to achieve this, we have to be intimate and get connected with the source of power and dynamism, that is, Jesus Christ through our constant prayer, love for the Word and the sacraments. Let us be reminded that "Prayer" is our battery that adds power and fights the contagion of sin, and preserves us from spiritual aridity and dryness. So, when your spirituality and faith are becoming dry...go to the source, Jesus Christ, and ask the help of the Holy Spirit. "You are the light of the world". Just imagine a house or a community without a light. Everything will be in darkness, and we will definitely trip or even get injured.

During Christ's time, the lamp was the main source of light in the house. It loses its purpose when we hide it underneath the bed or under a basket. The lamp has to be placed in an open space so that it may give light around the house. So also, with us Christians, we become a light to the world when our lamps are burning, oozing with light by our kind and gentle words and by our powerful good deeds to the people around us...like the help and the care that we extend to them or when we volunteer to do things for others. To me, the many volunteers that we have in the parish are examples of people whose lamps are luminously shining. As the lamps are lit and give light, they also diminish in the process. It means that if we give light to others, we are also slowly dying in our selfishness, self-centeredness and pride everyday. And the source of this light is God in Jesus Christ whom we have to imitate or emulate and with whom we should have an intimate relationship.

I guess, the challenge for us Christians is always to know the purpose and the reason why we are in this world. And it is only by knowing its purpose that we find meaning in our life. Are we living to the purpose and the reason why God created us and redeemed us? In whatever lifestyle that you embrace (either as a single, married and religious life) or whatever career or profession that you have, we are all challenged to be the salt and the light of the world. Good works like charity and doing medical mission need not be announced or be posted on Facebook because they become vehicles of pride. Let's do it silently like St. Joseph who never opened his mouth but did it with powerful deeds.

Finally, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all the parishioners for answering the Parish survey. Fr. Greg was happy to know that there were more than 100 respondents coming from STR and OLV. Soon, we will be getting the results of the survey. And I will definitely relay the result to you. Advance Happy Valentine's Day. Stay warm...