5th Sun 2014 - by Pagola/ Vally D'souza

José Antonio Pagola

Reach out to the margins

With two bold and surprising images Jesus makes known what he thinks and expects of his followers. They must not always be thinking of their own interests, their prestige or their influence. Even though they are a small group in the middle of the vast Empire of Rome, they have to be the “salt” the earth needs  and the “light” the world lacks.

   “You are the salt of the earth.” The simple people of Galilee spontaneously grasp the language of Jesus. The whole world knows that salt serves, above all, to give flavor to food and to preserve it from going bad. Similarly, the disciples of Jesus must help people to enjoy life without being a prey to corruption.

   “You are the light of the world.” Without the light of the sun, the world lives in darkness and we cannot find our way or enjoy life left in the dark. The disciples of Jesus have it in them to bring the light we need to find our way, or delve deeply into the ultimate meaning of our existence and to continue life’s journey with hope.

   The two metaphors coincide in something very important. If salt is left standing in a container all by itself, it serves no purpose. Only when it comes in contact with food and dissolves in it can it give flavor to what we eat. It’s the same with light. It if remains covered up and hidden, it cannot give light to anyone. Only in the midst of darkness can it illuminate and guide someone. A Church isolated from the world can be neither salt nor light.  

   Pope Francis sees that the Church is locked up in itself, paralyzed by fears, and too isolated from problems and suffering so as to be able to give flavor to modern life, and to provide the genuine light of the Gospel. His reaction was swift: “We have to move out to the outer margins”.

   Time and again the Pope insists: “I prefer a rugged, wounded and blemished Church for having gone out into the streets, rather than a Church sick because it is closed in on itself, and comfortable hanging on to its own securities. I don’t want a Church worried about being the centre and ending up in a tangle of obsessions and procedures.”

   The call of Francis is addressed to all Christians: we cannot remain waiting passively in our Churches.” ‘The Gospel calls us to always run the risk of encountering the other face to face. .”The Pope wants to introduce in the Church what he calls “the culture of the encounter.” He is convinced that “what the Church needs today is the ability to heal wounds and bring warmth to hearts.”