Reflecting on the day’s Gospel reading at Mass (Mt. 5:13-16) during
his February 5 Angelus address, Pope Francis emphasized the importance
of good works and freedom from worldliness as he discussed what it means
to be the light of the world and salt of the earth.“It is above all our behavior that—in the good and in the bad—leaves a sign in others,” the Pope told the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square. He continued:
Hence, we have a task and a responsibility for the gift received: the light of faith, which is in us through Christ and the action of the Holy Spirit, we must not keep as if it were our property. Instead, we are called to make it shine in the world, to give it to others through good works.Reflecting on the meaning of “salt of the earth,” the Pope spoke of the importance of being “liberated from the corrupting degeneration of worldly influences.”
“The mission of Christians in society is to give ‘flavor’ to life with the faith and love that Christ has given us, and at the same time to keep away the polluting germs of egoism, of envy, of malicious gossip, and so on,” the Pope said.
“These germs ruin the fabric of our communities, which instead should shine as places of hospitality, of solidarity and of reconciliation.”