Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings at USCCB.org 

The Church Needs You

When Jesus tells his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world,” He is not giving them a goal to achieve someday. He is naming who they already are. That matters. Jesus doesn’t say, “Try to become salt,” or “Work hard so you might earn light.” He says you are. Before the disciples do anything impressive, before they get it all right, Jesus affirms their identity.

Salt only works if it stays salt. Light only works if it shines. In the same way, this Gospel invites us to be our true selves, not watered-down versions, not copies of someone else, not hidden out of fear or comparison. God did not create us by accident. Our personalities, gifts, struggles, and stories are not mistakes. They are part of how God intends to bring flavor and light into the world.

Sometimes we think holiness means becoming someone else: more confident, more outgoing, more “religious,” more perfect. But Jesus suggests the opposite. Salt that loses its taste isn’t useful. Light hidden under a basket doesn’t help anyone. When we hide who we are, out of fear of judgment, rejection, or failure, we actually hold back the good God wants to do through us.

This Gospel reminds us that who you are is not only enough, it is needed. The Church doesn’t need identical disciples; it needs you. Your kindness, your sense of humor, your honesty, your compassion, your questions, your courage, all of it can point others to God. When you live authentically, rooted in Christ, your life becomes a way others “see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Being salt and light doesn’t mean being perfect. It means being real, faithful, and willing to show up as yourself, trusting that God can work through you exactly as you are. That is what confirmation strengthens in us: the courage to stop hiding our light and to believe that God chose us on purpose for this time, for this world, and for this mission.