Maymay sa Magbalantay

“Today the Word of God gives us a very beautiful and practical picture of what a true Christian life looks like.

Not complicated. Not dramatic. But very real. Very concrete.

Jesus says: “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.”

And the first reading from Isaiah tells us how we become that salt and that light.

1. Light begins with compassion.

Isaiah is very direct: “Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed, clothe the naked, do not turn your back on your own.”

Then comes the promise:

“Your light shall break forth like the dawn.”

Notice this: Light does not come from prayers alone. Light comes from compassion.

When you feed the hungry, when you help someone in need, when you refuse to ignore the suffering around you, that is when your light begins to shine.

Many people today ask, “Why is the world becoming dark?”

Maybe because there is less compassion.

Christianity is not first about words. It is first about how we treat people.

2. Salt and light are small, but powerful.

Jesus did not say, “You are fireworks.”

He said, “You are salt. You are light.”

Both are small. Quiet. Almost unnoticed.

A little salt changes the taste of everything.

A small light can brighten a whole room.

You may feel ordinary.

You may think, “I am just one person.”

But in your family, in your workplace, in your parish, in your community — you are meant to make a difference.

A calm person in a tense meeting.

An honest person in a corrupt system.

A forgiving person in a wounded family.

That is salt.

That is light.

3. The power is not ours — it is God’s.

In the second reading, St. Paul says something very humbling:

“I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom… but with a demonstration of the Spirit and power.”

Paul reminds us: the effectiveness of our witness does not come from how smart we are, how talented we are, or how impressive we are.

It comes from allowing God to work through us.

We do not shine because we are bright. We shine because we allow God’s light to pass through us.

That is why humility is important.

The more transparent we are to God, the brighter we become for others.

My dear brothers and sisters, in a world that is noisy, divided, and restless, Jesus gently reminds us: Be salt. Be light. Through compassion. Through small but consistent goodness. Through humble openness to God’s power. And when we live this way, people may not remember our names — but they will feel God’s presence because of us.”