Our readings this weekend:
The First Reading is taken from Isaiah 58:7-10. When lowliness unites all men, then God will fill the need of the world with his glorious presence. The final age will have to come.
The Second Reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 2:1-5. We continue this week with Paul's 1st letter to the Corinthians as he addresses divisions within the Church. As you will recall, two weeks ago we heard Paul address those who claimed to belong to Apollos, those who claimed Cephas, others who claimed Paul, and even those who followed only Christ. At that time he reminded them all that the Church is the body of Christ and as such cannot be divided. Last week he reminded us that God has chosen what is weak by human reckoning to be His followers. If anyone can boast, they can boast only in that they have been chosen by God. This week he reminds us that we are to pay attention to what is important—we are to hear the clear message of the crucified Christ and pay attention to it and not the messenger.
The Gospel is from St. Matthew 5:13-16. No less an authority than Christ himself calls his true followers the "salt of the earth." and the "light of the world." These are titles of honor, surely, and of the greatest distinction. Christ is putting his true follower on almost a level with himself. He was the light of the world; he was the salt of the earth. It was He who gave men the knowledge of the true nature of God, as shown by the Incarnation. It was He who gave this life its flavor, who gave this life its meaning, its preservation. By his death and resurrection he took away the sting of death, and removed its eternal corruption, by the guarantee and promise of a resurrection to an eternal life.