Fresh Dew Media

 5^TH SUNDAY, YEAR A: REFLECTION BY FR JULIAN EKEH

THEME: TASTE GOOD AND SHINE BRIGHT

(Matthew 5:13-16)

How do you taste? How do you shine?

These are the questions that should occupy us as we contemplate on how Jesus sees us. We have a God whose taste is too good, who created us good, who sees and wants to see nothing but goodness in us. He wants us to be sweet, to be productive, to be useful. He wants us to live a purposeful and meaningful life. He wants us to live a seasoned life, life seasoned by grace, by holiness, by love of God, and of our neighbour. He compares us with salt, the agent of tastefulness and meaningfulness.

Thus, in the world, we are like salt.

Why is it that family life, religious life, social life, political life, and so on and forth seem to be meaningless and worthless? Could it be that marriage has lost its marriagness? Could it be that politics has lost its politicness? Could it be that religion has lost its essence? Could it be that life has lost all its value for people now to take their lives and those of others? Jesus warns us against allowing these essences of our existence to lose their importance in us. Try to discover why that which makes your life sweet and that which should sweeten the life of the people around you is missing. A man told his wife: 'adighikwa uto itoom' (you're no longer sweet to me). What happened along the line?  Is the question.

How do you taste before God? Will God accept you, your prayers, your worship, your life as a sweet-smelling sacrifice to him? or reject you, throw you out for your filthiness, sinfulness, and bitter life?

How do you taste before people? Are you honey or vinegar in the life of people you meet?  When Jesus received the vinegar on the cross, He vomited it. When people in their bitter experience encounter you, do they spit you out and say: tufiakwa! Azi gbakwa! (God forbid!) Or do they thank God and say: This is a God-sent, He is a good man/woman. What people saw when they met you the first time, do you live on with it or disappoint them along the line? Never lose your saltiness. Some people are deceptively sweet, the sweetness of excess condiment; such people taste good at first sight but make those who take them in to purge.

In the old rite of Baptism, the candidate received salt at the prayer of exorcism. As salts of the earth, we are called to oppose the corrupt practices of the world. We are to take away contaminations from people's lives. We are to kick against the demonic manipulations of the world. We should be important in every family we enter, every life we come in contact with, everything we touch. We should be concerned about our worth. Are you as worth as salt? In the Roman history, salt is said to be used as a reward for soldiers. They were paid with packets of salt. In fact, it is believed that the world salary derives from the Latin 'sal', which means salt. Just as no one can afford to lose his salary, let us make our lives as valuable that no one will be happy to lose us. May we like the salt be tasty in people, be healing to them, be a preservative in them.

 

LET US SHINE BRIGHT

Jesus did not stop at telling us that we are salts. He also says that we are lights. Not small lights but great lights that should shine in the world before all men. Yes, that all men must see it. "Anaghi ekpuchi ihe oma aka" (Good things are not covered). He invites us not to hide our goodness. It should be radiated. Jesus explains a specific type of shining. It is not the 'mgbaza' type of shining, (empty show) it is never the 'makeup' nor the 'notice me type of shining'. Oh no! The shining meant here is not shining for the self or to draw attention to the self but the candle type of shining. The shining that burns itself for others, the shining that burns to the glory of God, the shining that is so bright that people think of the source of the light. In whichever area of your life you're shining, shine to the glory of God. You cannot be hidden if you are a divine light bearer.

May God bless His word in our hearts.

 

LET US PRAY

We thank You Oh Lord for Your word today. We pray for Your grace that people may see Your light through us and in us and give glory to our heavenly Father, may every meaningless, tasteless and worthless thing in us be touched by the Salt from above that we may keep shining with holy, economic, political, moral, academic and marital worth in the world through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Happy Sunday (5th Sunday, Ordinary Time, Yr. A)

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh