Saint Paul reminds us that God has made us many, many promises. “I go to prepare a place for you.” “I will raise you up on the last day.” “No one can snatch you out of my hand.” Will he fulfill them? Yes or No? Of Jesus, Paul says, “For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him.” Jesus’ response to our deepest desires and needs is “Yes.” Brothers and sisters, the Holy Spirit has been given to us “as a first installment.” Is he going to leave it at that or is payment in full going to eventually be given? What do you think the answer is from he who is the Yes to the promises of God?
“Lord, let your face shine on me” is the psalm response. This imagery is found throughout scripture, especially in the psalms (e.g., Psa. 67:2b). God’s shining face emphasizes his favor. This is part of the Aaronic-priestly blessing mentioned in Number 6:24-26: “The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!” His looking upon us or shining his face on us is a way of describing his graciousness toward us. This is also the language of Eucharistic Prayer 2 of the Mass. After mentioning those who have died in Christ, the priest asks God to “welcome them into the light of your face.” It’s a prayer for mercy and grace. Is it any wonder that today’s psalm, Psalm 119, focuses on such great love for God’s commands? How can one not love the commands of such a gracious God?
In the Gospel, Jesus refers to us as salt and light. I learned a lesson about salt when I was young. Each morning my brother and I ate cereal. My mom had several huge containers that would each hold about a fourth of a box of cereal. We would load them up and then pour on the sugar and milk. One morning I went to dig into the cereal and – yikes – I had put salt in the cereal instead of sugar. Of course, being so wise for a young age, I decided that I could nullify the salt by dumping a ton of sugar on top of it. You know how that came out! When salt gets in there, you essentially cannot negate it. My grandmother cooked with a ton of salt. Sometimes it made me feel like I had been hit in the face. Nothing you could do about it. Salt is like that. A little goes a long way. (Now they say we shouldn’t eat much of it. Probably right. My grandmother only lived to be 97). Real, salt of the earth Christians are like salt. They will impact everything they touch. And it doesn’t take a lot of them.
Jesus also challenges his disciples to be light. Jesus is the light of the world. His Father’s face shines upon us. When we do good, we are like a city set on a hill which cannot be hidden. This is to let our light shine. When we do this, we glorify the One whose face shines upon us and makes it possible for us to be light in the darkness.
Jesus is our Yes. The Father shines his face upon us. The Holy Spirit has been given to us. We are called to love his commands and be salt and light. How can we fail?
George Butterfield
I served as the Legal Reference Librarian at the Creighton University Law School Library from August, 2007, until August of 2017. I also taught Legal Research to first year law students and Advanced Legal Research to second and third year law students. In August of 2017 I took the position of Director of Evangelization and Catechesis for the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edmond, Oklahoma, and served in that capacity until Covid hit and the church staff was cut in half. Recently I took a position with the St. Gerald Catholic Church in Omaha, Nebraska, and my wife and I moved back to the Omaha suburb of Papillion.
My wife, Deb, and I have been married since 1970. She grew up in Oklahoma City and I migrated south from southwestern Pennsylvania. God has blessed us with three children, four living grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. I spent the first thirty years of our marriage as a minister so our family moved a lot. We have lived in several states, including Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, and California.
I enjoy walking, reading, listening to audio books, playing with my Pekingnese, Max, my Maltese-Schnauzer, Blaise, and seeing my grandkids grow up. I am a Catholic deacon, having been ordained by Archbishop George Lucas on May 5, 2012.
There is nothing to compare with reflecting on scripture. I feel privileged to participate in these daily reflections. Although we don’t know whether or not St. Francis ever said it, one idea associated with him is that we preach the gospel always and, when necessary, use words. May these reflections be gospel words, good news, of our gracious Lord Jesus Christ.
