This past week I was blessed to spend a few days hiking in Utah, exploring two national parks I hadn’t visited before: Canyonlands and Arches. One of those days, a priest-friend and I hiked in the remote Needles section of Canyonlands, a magnificent ten-mile journey through an otherworldly landscape of towering sandstone formations. Every turn revealed a new view, somehow better than the last, as we wandered through winding canyons and narrow rock passages.
Every so often we had to stop…not because we were tired, but because we needed to take it all in. The views stretched for miles, vast and overwhelming in their beauty. What struck me just as much was the silence. This time of year the parks are nearly empty. On our final day of hiking, we saw fewer than a dozen people the entire day. The silence was so deep it almost hurt your ears.
Standing there, surrounded by that raw beauty, I found myself saying out loud more than once, “God, you are good. Your work is beautiful!” I don’t know how you could have any other response when something like that is laid out before you. Creation practically demands your attention and it points to something beyond itself, to the One who designed and made it!
But nature isn’t the only thing that teaches us about God.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. People should be able to look at us…how we live, how we speak, how we treat others…and learn something true, something good, something beautiful about who God is. Our lives are meant to point beyond themselves, the same way creation does.
Fortunately, we already know how to do this. We proclaim what matters to us all the time. We wear clothing with the logos of our favorite teams, brands, or slogans that say something about who we are. Our cars have decals from places we’ve traveled, stick figures or illustrations of our families, causes we support, and even politicians we believe in. Without saying a word, our lives constantly communicate what we value, what we love, and what we stand for.
Jesus is saying that faith should be no different.
That’s why the second reading from St. Paul fits so beautifully with today’s Gospel. Writing to the Corinthians, Paul reminds them that when he first came to them, he didn’t rely on clever arguments, polished speeches, or sophisticated philosophy. This was significant because Corinth loved all of those things.
But Paul says, “I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.” Instead, he came with a “demonstration of Spirit and power.” In other words, he let God do the convincing through the consistent and natural actions of his daily life and presence with the people of that city. The Gospel spread not because Paul was impressive, but because God was present and clear to see in the words and actions of St. Paul…changing hearts, healing lives, performing works that made God impossible to ignore.
And here’s the key connection: for most people today, their first real encounter with God won’t be through a theology book, a catechism, or even the Bible. It will be through a Christian. Through someone they know. Someone they work with. Someone in their family. Jesus knows this. That’s why He says that people should see our good deeds and give glory not to us, but to our heavenly Father.
This calling isn’t reserved for priests, religious sisters, or scholars. God truly wants (and expects) every baptized person to use their life, their relationships, and their daily experiences as a way of making Him known, loved, and adored. That’s an incredible responsibility… and a sign of remarkable trust.
So Jesus says plainly: you are salt. You are light. And this calling can’t be ignored. Either our lives reveal something of God’s goodness, beauty, and truth…or we hide it. Salt that loses its flavor and light that’s hidden away quickly lose their purpose. As Jesus warns, they become good for nothing.
“Just so,” He says, “your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”
The question, then, is whether we’ve first allowed ourselves to encounter the beauty, goodness, and truth of God. We can’t teach something we don’t know or believe. For me, that encounter has come many times through the splendor of nature and through the goodness of friends and family. For others, it may come through the birth of a child, caring for a loved one, forming a family, or recognizing God’s quiet wisdom in a decisive moment.
Once we’ve encountered God ourselves, we’re called, like Paul, to let our lives speak. God could have chosen another way, …….but He didn’t. He chose to rely on you and me to teach others about Him. He trusts that our words, our patience, our forgiveness, and our love might become a “demonstration of Spirit and power” for someone else.
So the final question this weekend is simple but challenging: What is your life teaching right now? Who is it revealing?
Someone is counting on us to learn about God’s goodness, truth, and beauty.Are we being salt?Are we being light?
