The readings for today are clear and emphatic about one thing: the relevance and aim of the Christian faith and its message. The first reading, from Isaiah 58:7–10, speaks of true fasting as having the purpose of kindness and social transformation. The prophet is commanded to condemn the formalism of the people, specifically their hypocritical fasting. Fasting is not genuine without reforming one’s way of life. True social morality, the text affirms, ensures mutual prosperity (bible.usccb.org). As such, the prophet calls the people to praxis: sharing their bread with the hungry and offering shelter to the destitute. He declares that through such acts of kindness, the people overcome selfishness and that their light shall break forth in the world.
In the second reading, from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians (1 Cor 2:1–5), St. Paul testifies to his exemplary practice of the faith and exhorts believers to do the same. His purpose is to preach Christ crucified and not mere human wisdom. The power and wisdom of God are the tools given to Christians in their practice of faith.
The Gospel reading (Mt 5:13–16) brings to the foreground the essence and usefulness of believers in the world: “You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world.” Similarly, the psalmist reaffirms the message of the readings, declaring that the righteous are a light in the darkness for the upright. My reflection will dwell on this central point of the usefulness and relevance of Christian faith, namely, being light in the world.
Christianity as a Life Style
Christoph Theobald, a French-German Jesuit theologian, published a book in 2018 titled Christentum als Stil. Für ein zeitgemäßes Glaubensverständnis in Europa. The English translation reads Christianity as Style: Toward a Contemporary Understanding of Faith in Europe. In this work, Theobald views Christianity not primarily as a system of doctrines, an institution, or a form of spiritualization, but as a specific way of living, believing, and shaping relationships in the world. At its center is a style of Christian existence — a way of life. Theobald argues that Christianity’s inspirational power has been weakened today by a shift in focus from the message and style of Christ to alternative ways of being Christian and of being Church. By “Christianity as style,” he refers to a form of life in which the content and form of faith are coherent: how what one believes and acts corresponds to what one professes. Style thus encompasses both the uniqueness of the Christian figure —Jesus Christ— and concrete encounters in the world.
Encounter and Relationship
Theobald further points out that Christian faith unfolds as an event of encounter and relationship, especially in relation to Jesus Christ and the way of life he preached. Believing, therefore, does not primarily mean affirming propositions or ritual practices, but beyond these, we are called to living a concrete style of witness that takes place here and now. He defines this style through Jesus’ actions as “holy hospitality,” whereby Jesus opens spaces of acceptance, reconciliation, and healing, especially for the marginalized, the oppressed, the wounded and the weak.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945), the German Lutheran pastor who was executed in a concentration camp during the Nazi regime, once said that Jesus did not call us to a church in the first place; rather, he called us to a way of life — a life of justice (Bonhoeffer, Widerstand und Ergebung, 1994, p. 193). The words of Jesus in today’s Gospel are a call to renewal and attentiveness to the true usefulness of Christianity as Jesus lived and taught it. Through acts of charity and deeds of justice, our light shines in the world. Christianity’s relevance is closely tied to the usefulness of the actions we perform in the name of Christ.
The Usefulness of Christianity drawn from Jesus’ Ideals
Jesus expresses the insight into the way of life he propagates through the analogy of salt. We are all aware of the role taste plays in our experience of food — and, by analogy, of music or other forms of human expression. With regard to food, a dish without salt, regardless of the ingredients it contains, remains tasteless and fails to satisfy one essential dimension of eating, namely taste.
The usefulness of being Christian in these complicated times is once again demanded through the practice of justice and charity. Its usefulness lies in its capacity to offer meaning (taste) and guidance (light). Beyond justice and charity, Christianity loses its relevance. This is why Bonhoeffer’s assertion that Jesus fundamentally called us to life must be properly understood. In today’s Christianity, we are challenged by these readings to examine ourselves and our way of being Christian. Have we replaced acts of charity and justice with role-playing, rituals, and teachings that no longer aim at the core relevance of Christ’s life and message?
[Readings: Isaiah 58:7-10; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 5:13-16]
