You are the salt of the earth. (…) You are the light of the world – in today’s passage of the Gospel, Jesus in a metaphorical way explains to His disciples their mission. He wants them to be good witnesses to the Gospel by what they say and what they do. Other people are to taste the Gospel through their teaching and actions. Simultaneously, the Lord tells them about the great responsibility that His disciples undertake. He warns them of the gravity of that obligation: they are not to fail – they are obliged to be faithful to the Lord at all times.

This Sunday Jesus calls us to be His authentic disciples too. He wants us to spread the Gospel in word and deed. By responding to this call we can truly show our love towards Him who loved us to the very end; laying down His life for us. Being His authentic disciples requires faithfulness to the Lord. Numerous Christians have taken this call seriously and many of them paid the highest price. Among them there was Saint Paul, the Apostle who, as we can read in today’s second reading, proclaimed Christ crucified regardless of the consequence.

Since we are approaching Ash Wednesday, that idea of authentic discipleship may become our first reflection in this season of Lent.
This Tuesday, February 11th we observe the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes. It is also a World Day of the Sick which was instituted by Pope St. John Paul II in 1992. This year Pope Francis encourages health workers to bring human warmth and personalized approach of Christ, the Good Samaritan to their work. The theme of this World Day of the Sick is: “Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened”.

Our Lady of Lourdes – pray for the sick and for those who care for them!

God bless,
Fr. Peter