Sunday’s gospel was a brief one with a lot packed into it.
You could say it was short, “salty” and to the point. :)
You are the salt of the
earth….light of the world….a city on a hill. Listening to this gospel got me
thinking back to when my friend Cherise professed vows a couple months ago. It’s
something I’ve meant to write about for a while. As a friend in my own life, Cherise has
been salt, light and a city on a hill. To me she is a great example of living
this gospel so I hope she doesn’t mind this somewhat of a belated tribute to the beautiful person God created in her.
Salt is a substance that is not
stand alone. It does nothing for itself by itself. It adds to and enhances
flavor, it preserves food, in some cases it is used to aid healing and we need
it in our bodies to live. As long as Cherise and I have
been close, she’s always been a "salty" friend (in the gospel definition of the word, not today’s
modern definition). Conversations with her have always been edifying and
something I look forward to when we’re able to be together. We cover a lot of
ground on many topics in faith, but also in sharing our own personal spiritual
lives, where we are and how God is working in our life. These conversations
always have inspired me and encouraged me to keep living and focusing on
holiness. I come away from those rejuvenated in some way. With Cherise, I definitely see it, that she was made for this particular vocation she
has with the Apostles of the Interior Life. By the nature of their charism and apostolate,
in her life she will continue having these “salty” conversations with many
people she will encounter. In that, she has and will certainly continue to inspire and
enhance others lives with her genuine joy, love, and zeal. She will help preserve
our beautiful faith and tradition in how she lives, and she will definitely be
in a place to help bring others to Christ’s healing. We’re called to be as salt is in our own daily Christian living. By fully living out our faith, in word and in deed, we enhance the life of those around us, we preserve the faith and help inspire others to continue in faith, and we help bring Christ’s healing. We need to be salty!
The line “A city set on a mountain
top cannot be hidden,” used to really stick out to me because it took me a long time to understand how it fits. I remember one time in college a
priest spent some time reflecting on that one line. He talked about how a city
up on a mountain could be seen and used as a point of reference to know where
you are and where you need to go. Cherise has been this city to me in her prayer life. In the past, seeing her pray, whether
it was in church or knowing she was going to have a holy hour made me realize
okay Alyson this is the kind of relationship you want
with God, so this is what you can do to get there, be like that, take a leaf out of her book. Though I don't get to see her like I used to, she still inspires me in her writing about her spiritual life. I’m sure you can come up
with people who are “cities on a hill” in your own life. They are the ones you
see, who inspire you, and make you stop a bit and think: I want to be where they
are. Here I am now. What can I learn from them to help me get where I need to
be in my journey to holiness? If you don't have those people you can certainly always look to the lives of the Saints. That is a unique gift we have as Catholics. These "cities" preserved in our history and in Heaven who both inspire us as a reference to know the way in our journey to holiness and they can intercede for us on the way. Again when we fully live our faith out as Christ calls us too, we become this for others too. We become a point of reverence that others can look at to know the direction to go. You never know when you yourself may be a city on a hill for someone else which is why the city cannot be hidden.
"You are the Light of the world," stood out to me
most yesterday in this gospel. The priest I heard at mass pointed out that it says
that we are the light, not that we carry a light or that we point to a light,
we are the light. Having Christ’s life in us by our baptism, and He being THE
light, we are the light of the world. It reminded me of when Cherise lit her
baptismal candle and placed it on the altar where it burned as she consecrated
her life to Jesus and on throughout the rest of the mass. I remember looking at
that candle after communion and seeing how far it had burned down. My first
thought was one of worry that it would burn all the way down and she wouldn’t
have anything left of it. It didn’t go completely out, the candle burned on and
there was plenty to last through the end of mass before finally being blown out
by Cherise before pictures. I kept thinking about that candle. Cherise couldn’t
plan whether the candle would last for the whole mass, know that it would, or
plan for there would be any left for her parents to take home. None of that
mattered though and she certainly didn’t go back up to the altar to blow it out
as it melted lower and lower and neither did anyone else. It was fitting that
this was her baptismal candle as Cherise was answering her baptismal call in a
very special way that day. I began to see it as a representation of the generous
gift Cherise was making with her life, not holding anything back for herself. She
in faith just lets her light burn, knowing and trusting that God will give her
all the strength, grace, courage and love that to make her enough and keep her
light going for the world as she continues to choose to let it shine daily.
We shouldn't fear being too salty lest we lose our flavor and our light isn't meant to be hidden. It makes zero sense to ever
hide it though we’re tempted to often. Perhaps we fear offending someone. Perhaps
you have been or will be told your light, “is too bright.” Maybe we’ve been made fun of
for being "too holy" or turned others off by it. We fear what others will say
about our light. Some have the mindset that they will let their light shine more
fully later, when they are in their specific vocation, or a certain place in life. Maybe
we think that our light isn’t good enough. Reading this gospel and taking it to
heart we must cast out those fears. God puts us on a lamp-stand where He intends for us to be, to be salty, and to shine where the world needs our light to shine. We can’t hold back
or control our light for those reasons above. Tomorrow is never a guarantee for us or anyone else. We do not know who desperately needs our light because maybe their light is dim or they are in a very dark place and need more light to find their way. If you want to be holy especially at the moment of your death, then live every moment letting your light shine.
This doesn’t mean to boast or be intentionally showy for
our own sake and gain. There is a way to simply live our faith to the full with no
reservations with charity and love in a way that points and directs all glory
to God. Again look to the Saints as great examples. God desires others to see our light and to be further drawn to Him. As
Cherise did and so many others we must generously give it all and trust God
with how long and how far it shall shine. Whether He intends it for one person or a multitude, He makes it bright enough if we allow
Him!
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| Cherise and I on her consecration day, December 7th, 2019 |
