Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako
This verse is part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount according to the Gospel of Matthew (5/16). We are in Lent season we are concerned with this important teaching, especially as we face religious indifference and a troubling moral decline. Jesus calls us not to allow darkness to overcome the light, because liars deceive us by presenting false truths.
Jesus uses simple and understandable words to form people in his new message, including his disciples—the future leaders of the Church. He speaks of salt, which gives food flavor and helps the seed grow, and light, which illuminates.
His teaching lasted five full days. Crowds gathered eagerly to hear his words because they found in them meaning and flavor for their lives. It was an oral teaching—words from the heart—that spread from one to another, and were repeated throughout groups and within families, leaving a positive echo.
Jesus teaches us, bishops and priests, that our homilies should be well prepared, clear, understandable, and expressed in simple, brief, and effective words.
The first day was dedicated to proclaiming the Beatitudes, which run counter to human logic. They must touch the natural human desire for happiness, yet Jesus used them intentionally to bring about a radical transformation in hearts and to prepare people to enter the mystery of his Kingdom:
“Blessed are the poor, blessed are the meek, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, blessed are the merciful, blessed are the pure in heart, blessed are the peacemakers, blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness” (Matthew 5:3–11).
The teaching of the Beatitudes was different from what people of his time were used to hearing in the synagogues, where they were taught strict and literal observance of the law to achieve religious perfection. Jesus’ teaching, however, sought to reach the depths of the heart, giving each person a unique personal calling that enables him to witness to his word through the daily life. From this perspective, the Apostle Paul writes: “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6).
Jesus embodied his teaching through two symbols: The Salt of the Earth and the Light of the World.
The First: The Salt of the Earth
The phrase “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13) refers to the role of believers in preserving the world from moral corruption and giving flavor and meaning to life through faith, love, hope, and peace in a world filled with anxiety and frustration—just as salt preserves food and gives it taste. Jesus therefore warns Christians not to lose the authenticity, spontaneity, and strength of their mission, adding: “But if the salt loses its flavor, with what shall it be salted?”
Mr. Mohammed Al-Saadi, a Muslim gentleman commented on the short video about the Chaldean identity published on the Patriarchate’s website with very touching words that I hope Christians will understand: “Iraq without our Christian brothers is like life without air.”
The “salt of the earth” also refers to fertilizer that helps the seed grow and bear fruit. In this way, faith is compared to a seed that requires constant care so that it may grow stronger through life’s experiences, be passed on to others, and bear fruit in them.
The Second: Light
Light on a Mountain
The light that is lit on the top of a mountain. Faith is light:
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119).
It should not be confined to private life; rather, believers must show indeed, their faith clearly so that they may contribute to renewing values in society.
Light inside the House
The lamp has a wick fed by oil to provide light, and it is placed in a high place so that it illuminates those in the house—that is, it enlightens the relationships among family members: “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a hidden place or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light” (Luke 11:33).
The spread of the Good News and the growth of the Church begin first through the faith of Christians in their relationships within their homes and at the heart of their families, and then it is reflected in those around them.
“In Him was life, and in Him was light. Alleluia, alleluia.”