Daily Prayer
June 8th, 2010
"You are the salt of the earth... You are the light of the world."
Matt. 5:13-16
Jesus said to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.”
When Jesus spoke to the people, he used homely examples to convey his message. Here, he reminds his disciples that they are to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
There is nothing more useful than salt or sunlight. Before the invention of electricity and all the consequent modern conveniences we enjoy, salt was a vital commodity for preserving certain foods. We also know how important salt is at the dinner table for making food savoury: it brings out the flavour. To be effective, however, it has to retain its saltiness – otherwise, it is no good.
Jesus also uses another homely metaphor in today’s Gospel. His followers are to be the ‘light of the world.’ Christ is our light. In St. John’s Gospel we are told that Jesus came as a light into the world, but people preferred to remain in darkness. Anyone who lives an upright life need never be afraid of coming into the light. In the Old Testament Isaiah said: “Which of you walks in darkness and sees no light … lean on God.” Light imagery is applied to all who follow God’s law.
“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven”.
Prayer
Lord, lift up the light of your face on me today. Cast your light into the dark corners of my heart, and may I shed a ray of your light on those I meet today.
The prayer for each day has been prepared by various members of the Holy Family Association. All who visit our website are remembered in prayer. If you would like us to pray for a particular need, simply complete and submit the form on the right hand side of this page. You may wish to leave a comment in the space below.
Just a Thought
How the Holy Family prayer: A Reflection by Pope Benedict XVI
“I would like to invite you to reflect on the place of prayer in the life of the Holy Family of Nazareth. The home of Nazareth, in fact, is a school of prayer where we learn to listen, to ponder and to penetrate the profound meaning of the manifestation of the Son of God, drawing our example from Mary, Joseph and Jesus.
Pope Paul VI during his visit to Nazareth said “we come to understand the need for a spiritual discipline, if we wish to follow the teaching of the Gospel and become disciples of Christ.” And he added: “First, it teaches us silence. Oh! That there would be reborn in us the esteem for silence, that wonderful and indispensable atmosphere of the spirit: while we are deafened by so many noises, sounds and clamorous voices in the frantic and tumultuous times of modern life. Oh! Silence of Nazareth, teach us to be resolute in good thoughts, intent upon the interior life, ready to listen well to the secret inspirations of God and the exhortations of the true masters.”
We can glean several insights on the Holy Family’s prayer and relationship with God from the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ childhood. We may begin with the Presentation of Jesus in the temple. St. Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph, “when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, brought the child up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord”(2:22). Like every observant Jewish family, Jesus’ parents go up to the temple to consecrate the firstborn son to God and to offer sacrifice. Moved by fidelity to the law’s prescriptions, they set off from Bethlehem and go up to Jerusalem with Jesus, who is now forty days old. Instead of a one-year-old lamb, they present the offering of simple families; that is two young pigeons. The Holy Family’s pilgrimage is one of faith, of the offering of gifts, a symbol of prayer, and of encounter with the Lord, whom Mary and Joseph already see in the son Jesus.”
