Pope at Mass: ‘Christian witness
is being salt, light’
Pope Francis preaches at Mass in the Casa Santa Marta. (Vatican Media) |
In his homily at Mass in the Casa Santa Marta on Tuesday,
Pope Francis invites Christians to be salt and light in our witness to Jesus,
not drawing attention to our own merits.
Pope Francis at Mass on Tuesday morning said Christian
witness is meant to edify others and not to serve as path to self-promotion.
The Holy Father said Christians are called to provide
“simple, habitual witness” to Jesus, calling it “everyday holiness.”
Christian witness, he said, can mean giving one’s life in
martyrdom, after Jesus’ example. But he said, another path is to point to
Christ in our everyday actions, when we wake, work, and go to bed.
“It seems like such a small thing,” he said, “but miracles
are done through small things.”
Salt and light for others
Pope Francis said Christian witness must be grounded in humility, which means being simple salt and light for others.
“Salt for others; light for others: Because salt does not
give flavor to itself but serves others. Light does not illuminate itself but
serves others… Supermarkets sell salt in small quantities, not by the ton. And
salt does not promote itself because it doesn’t serve itself. It exists to
serve others, by conserving things and giving flavor. This is simple witness.”
No personal merit
The Pope said daily Christian witness means being light for others, “to help them in their darkest hour.”
“The Lord says: ‘You are salt; you are light.’… But do so
in order that others see and glorify God. You will not even receive any merit.
When we eat, we don’t compliment the salt. No, we say the pasta or meat is
good… When we go to sleep at night, we don’t say the light is good. We ignore
the light, but we live illuminated by light. This impels Christians to be
anonymous witnesses.”
Everyday holiness
Finally, Pope Francis warned us against acting like the Pharisee who thanks the Lord for his holiness. “We are not the authors of our own merits.”
“Everyday holiness”, he said, means being salt and light for
others.
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