file: /pub/resources/text/taize/johannine: jh9408.txt ----------------------------------------------------- JOHANNINE HOURS - Matthew 5,13-16 - August 94 Speaking to a crowd that was surely very diverse, Jesus expresses what he sees in them. "You are the salt of the earth...the light of the world" We can imagine how surprised his hearers must have been! He isn't speaking about the future but about the present. He doesn't say, "One day you will be...if...," but "You are ..." Christ sees the hidden depths of those who listen to him, their deepest identity, and he wants to reveal it to them. When we read these words, Christ makes us too realize what we are, what our eyes do not see yet. Salt of the earth. Like food, Jesus seems to say, human life needs to be seasoned. How can we live if life seems tasteless? By their search for the living God and for his Kingdom, those who listen to Christ give this taste to all those whom they meet. More than by this or that personal quality, they awaken others to a taste for life by their longing for God. Light of the world. The two following images, that of a city on a hilltop (v. 14) and a lamp in a house (v. 15), express the fact that it is unthinkable to wish to hide what is already existing and shining. What we have to do, says Jesus, is not so much to show the gift God has already given to us, but simply not to hide it. To let the light God has placed in us shine out. Through "your good works" (v. 16), in other words our concern for those who are nearby, another presence makes itself felt, close to us. Among people I know, who is like "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world"? What strikes me about them? How do the words of Christ illuminate my life and familiar situations? How can I realize that Christ speaks these words" "you are salt and light" - to me, and dare to take them seriously? ======== JOHANNINE HOURS (Taize Community, France) ============== Description: A monthly devotional from the Taize Community. The "Johannine Hours" are meant as a way of seeking God in silence and prayer in the midst of our daily lives. A brief commentary on a selected passage and a couple of questions to assist reflexion and sharing. Subscribe: Send a mail to server@taize.frmug.fr.net with JH as the subject and on the first line of the message body the words SUBSCRIBE TAIZE-JH E-Mail: brothers@taize.frmug.fr.net or taize@dkauni2.bitnet ======== For those with access to Internet services ============= The J-Hours can be read in GERMAN and ENGLISH on the following Gopher. pfsparc02.phil15.uni-sb.de (from the main menu choose items 12, 13 then 12) and in FRENCH and ENGLISH using WWW. www http://saturn.colorado.edu:8080/Christian/list.html (You can also find here THE CHRISTIAN GUIDE TO INTERNET RESOURCES which contains all sorts of information, addresses, Gophers, WWW, ftp sites, etc. pointing to a wide variety of Christian resources to be discovered on the Internet.) The FINGER command can bring you the short daily Bible verse that is used in Taize during the midday prayer (updated daily at 04:00 GMT). finger roy@pfsparc02.phil15.uni-sb.de The monthly JH in English are archived and available using anonymous ftp from: iclnet93.iclnet.org dir: pub/resources/text/taize/johannine as jh9401.txt, jh9402.txt, etc. === end ===