P R A Y I N G W I T H T H E C H U R C H
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INTENTION : |
That Christian communities may welcome ever more completely the Lord's invitation to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
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The invitation to be salt of the earth and light of the world is most timely in the context of so much dispiritedness and disillusionment in our midst. Salt and light are essential elements of life. Our Christian identity is kept intact in a secularised world by the grace of Baptism which makes us capable of responding to Jesus' call to "offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God" (Mt. 5:13-14).
The light referred to is the light of faith, God's free gift, which enlightens the heart and clarifies the mind. Our personal encounter with Christ will set us on the right path to be his witnesses in a world that is losing its noblest ideals for unfettered wealth and power. Thus a new way of looking at the world becomes a challenge of our faith which is just not a collection of theoretical assertions, but an experience to be had and a truth to be lived, the salt and light of all reality.
Thus the Holy Father urges us not be content with anything than the highest ideals. He applauds our right to be disappointed with hollow entertainment and passing fads and with aiming at too little in life. As salt of earth, we are called to preserve the faith which we have received and to pass it on intact to others. If we ardently desire the Lord then we will steer clear of the mediocrity and conformism so widespread in our society.
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