Stand out

Most of us feel comfortable “fitting in”: acting and talking like everyone else.

In today’s Gospel (Matthew 5:13-16), our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ tells us that we must stand out.

You are the salt of the earth.

But if salt loses its taste,
with what can it be seasoned?

It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

In this world of selfishness and sin, “fitting in” makes us worthless.

That does not mean we all have to stand on street corners, loudly proclaiming the truth.

What our Lord calls most of us to is more subtle yet powerful.

You are the light of the world.

A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.

Nor do they light a lamp
and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.

Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father.