Mt 5: 13-16
“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
How will you live your purpose?
How often do you think about your purpose? What are you meant to do in this life? The answer St. Ignatius gives to that question in the Spiritual Exercises provides an answer for everyone: “Humans are created to praise, reverence and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save their soul.” So what does Christ mean about being salt?
Salt is meant to enhance the flavor of other foods—it complements. Similarly, we are supposed to bring about God’s presence in the world by the way we live our lives. We are not the main flavor. That’s God. Which brings us to being light in the world.
If God’s light is shining through us, other people will notice. That’s okay as long as we remember that whatever light we have is given to us so that others will know the Giver of that light.
How will you live your purpose of praising, referencing, and serving God today? How are you being salt and light?
—Ian Peoples, SJ, is a Jesuit of the Central and Southern Province working as a prison chaplain and campus minister in Belize City.
You are salt for the earth, O people:
Salt for the Kingdom of God!
Share the flavor of life, O people:
Life in the Kingdom of God!
Bring forth the Kingdom of mercy,
Bring forth the Kingdom of peace;
Bring forth the Kingdom of justice,
Bring forth the City of God!
—Lyrics to “Bring Forth the Kingdom” by Marty Haugen, © 1986 GIA Publications, Inc
Please share the Good Word with your friends!
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Ignatian spirituality reminds us that God pursues us in the routines of our home and work life, and in the hopes and fears of life's challenges. The founder of the Jesuits, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, created the Spiritual Exercises to deepen our relationship with Christ and to move our contemplation into service. May this prayer site anchor your day and strengthen your resolve to remember what truly matters.
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