Pope Francis on June 12, 2018, called on Christians to provide a “simple, habitual witness” to Jesus, what the Holy Father termed “everyday holiness”.
His recommendation came during his homily at morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican. His message was simple: simple can be miraculous. What matters are our everyday actions — and remembering Christian witness is about edifying others, not self-promotion.
“It seems like such a small thing,” he said, “but miracles are done through small things.” He continued:
“Salt for others; light for others: Because salt does not give flavor to itself but serves others. Light does not illuminate itself but serves others… Supermarkets sell salt in small quantities, not by the ton. And salt does not promote itself because it doesn’t serve itself. It exists to serve others, by conserving things and giving flavor. This is simple witness.
“The Lord says: ‘You are salt; you are light.’… But do so in order that others see and glorify God. You will not even receive any merit. When we eat, we don’t compliment the salt. No, we say the pasta or meat is good… When we go to sleep at night, we don’t say the light is good. We ignore the light, but we live illuminated by light. This impels Christians to be anonymous witnesses.”
“Salt for others; light for others: Because salt does not give flavor to itself but serves others. Light does not illuminate itself but serves others… Supermarkets sell salt in small quantities, not by the ton. And salt does not promote itself because it doesn’t serve itself. It exists to serve others, by conserving things and giving flavor. This is simple witness.
“The Lord says: ‘You are salt; you are light.’… But do so in order that others see and glorify God. You will not even receive any merit. When we eat, we don’t compliment the salt. No, we say the pasta or meat is good… When we go to sleep at night, we don’t say the light is good. We ignore the light, but we live illuminated by light. This impels Christians to be anonymous witnesses.”
