The Gospel asks the great question of “why worry?” The wildflowers don’t worry. The birds don’t worry. Why should we? If God cares for them, why would God not equally care for us who are made in the image and likeness of God
God has an infinite capacity to love. His love transforms lives. His love restores hope. When we find that our feet are on a path which is heavily burdened, fear not, for the Lord is walking with you. He is holding your right hand. If at any time you don’t see him walking beside you, know that it’s during those times that he’s actually carrying you!
There is often hidden and great value to what from all appearances seem be worthless. That is a point that Jesus is making today when he describes us as salt of the earth and the light of the world. He sees value in us that we often do not see. The kind of salt we are most familiar with is a granular, very small. But it has power within it that isn’t released until it’s out of the shaker and onto something to enhance its flavor. We have the power to add flavor to the lives of individuals and to society. Think for a moment how your life has been enriched by someone. I think of the members of our parish youth group where high school teens and older youth interacted and created an atmosphere where we had a lot of fun and grew in our faith at the same time. We made friendships that have lasted a lifetime and have added a lot of flavor and brightness to our lives. You and I have power to be a good influence on others, to bring joy, encouragement when these are especially needed. When Jesus says “you are the salt of the earth,” his is reminding us of our potential to have a positive influence on the lives of not just our friends but on all the people that we share space with at home, at school, at work, or wherever we may be. But we can’t give what we don’t have. We ourselves must be full of hope, joy, courage, faith in order to share them with others. What Jesus is telling us today is that if we are salted with the Gospel of Life, the mission or purpose we have as his disciples isn’t that extraordinary. It’s the most human and humane thing can do. We don’t have to have all the answers. We must simply be the presence of Jesus through our particular human caring and acting on behalf of others. There is a story about a salesman who complained to his boss that his best efforts don’t work. It’s like I’m leading a horse to water but can’t make him drink: his boss retorted, “You are not to lead people to water, you are to make them thirsty. Good advise for evangelizers too: make them want what you have.