Is. 58:6-10; 1 Cor.
2:1-5; Mt. 5:13-16
Hubert
was the eldest son and apparent heir of Bertrand,
Duke of Aquitaine.
As a youth, Hubert was sent to the Neustrian
court of Theuderic III
at Paris, where
his charm and agreeable address led to his investment with the dignity of
"count of the palace".
Like many nobles of the time, Hubert was addicted to the chase.
Hubert retreated from the court,
withdrew into the forested Ardennes, and gave
himself up entirely to hunting.
But a great spiritual revolution was imminent.
On Good Friday morning, when the faithful were crowding the churches, Hubert
sallied forth to the chase. As he was pursuing a magnificent stag, the animal turned and, as the pious legend
narrates, he was astounded at perceiving a crucifix standing between its
antlers, while he heard a voice saying: "Hubert, unless thou turnest to
the Lord, and leadest an holy life, thou shalt quickly go down into hell".
Hubert dismounted, prostrated himself and said, "Lord, what wouldst Thou
have me do?" He received the answer, "Go and seek Lambert, and he
will instruct you." This brought about a great change in him. He distributed
his revenues among the poor, and dedicated himself for the service of the poor.
When
Valerian and his brother Tiburtius believed in Christ and were converted to
Christianity, they distributed their inheritance to the poor.
Bernard, a rich man of Assisi, was very much
attracted by the life of Francis of Assisi. He joined Francis, and placed all
his wealth at the altar of God. Eleven others also joined Francis. They
distributed all their wealth to the poor.
The acts of these men were looked upon with great wonder and
admiration by all. About such men of
great compassion Isaiah wrote:
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn.
Jesus told his disciples
“You are the salt of the earth.”
and
“You are the light of the world.”
Salt is connected with purity. The Romans
considered salt as the purest of all things, because it came from the purest of
all things, the sun and the sea. When
Jesus spoke to his disciples, “you are
the salt of the earth.”, he wanted his disciples to be the purest of all men. Association with
Jesus transformed people. When Mary
Magdelene came to Jesus she changed her
life circumstances. Moved by the audacity of Jesus's unconditional love and
acceptance, Zacchaeus publicly repented of acts of corruption and vowed to make
restitution for them. A murderous Pharisee and persecutor of Christians, was
thrown to the ground and blinded by a streak of light....eventually to become a
Christian and soon after beheaded for the faith. That was St. Paul!
A Jewish atheist of the 20th
century pursued studies in philosophy and by the witness of many, including the
life of St. Theresa di Avila, became a Carmelite cloistered nun and eventually
led with her sister to a concentration camp and killed in a the so called gas chambers. That was Edith
Stein!
The life of all these people show that their
association with Jesus caused tremendous change in them. From darkness they turned to light, and from
impurity to purity. Today, our mission is to be the salt of the earth - to
uphold the noble principles of love and concern for others.
Secondly, in the ancient world salt was the
commonest of all preservatives. The mission of a Christian is to be the
preserver of Christian values in his age. The world tends to dilute the
standard of moral values. We are part of a consumerist society. The only
satisfaction we know is the satisfaction derived from consumption. So there is a frantic chase to amass wealth
at any cost. But, there is a great joy derived from sacrifice and sharing. The lives of St. Hubert, St. Valarian and
Bernard are testimony for this. They found joy in giving. There are many things that can be given
besides physical objects. Many people need time, attention, acknowledgment, the
chance to be right about something. Practice giving freely. Do it in little
steps at first. Let the car behind you pass you, let the person go first at the
checkout counter. Give someone a hand with their bags, open the door for
someone at a building. Practice being there for another. The more you do it,
the more your joy will grow.
When these things are done, we will be the
light of the world.
A light is to be seen. Our work must be seen by others. When the early Christians
lived in unity the others wondered. Look, how they live in unity! Our life must attract
others. There is an old proverb “A
drop of honey catches more flies than a cup of vinegar.” Our little acts of kindness are like drops of
honey. They are able to attract others, and motivate others to show acts of
kindness. “A good example has twice
the value of good advice”.
Secondly, a light should be a guide. Our life should be able to guide people to
the light. One day a man visited Mother Teresa’s home for the poor
and the dying in Calcutta.
He arrived just as the sisters were bringing in some of the dying off the
streets. They had picked up a man off the gutter, and he was covered with dirt
and sores. Without knowing that she was being watched, one of the sisters began
to care for the dying man. The visitor kept watching the sister as she worked.
He saw how tenderly she cared for her patient. He noticed how as she washed the
man she smiled at him. She did not miss a detail in her attentive care of that
dying man. After carefully watching the Sister the visitor turned to Mother
Teresa and said, “When I came here today I didn’t believe in God, and my heart
was full of hatred. But now I am leaving here believing in God. I have seen the
love of God in action. Through the hands of that Sister, through her
tenderness, through her gestures which were so full of love for that wretched
man, I have seen God’s love descend upon him. Now I believe.” (Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day
Liturgies’).
God wants us to be the salt and
light for everyone around us.
Satish