Tuesday in the Tenth Week of Ordinary Time at Mississippi Abbey

Jesus speaks to a community: “His disciples.” He calls them “the salt of the earth”, a preservative that brings out the true flavor or experience of the Kingdom of God. They will affect and effect the way people experience the person of Jesus Christ and His promise of the Kingdom of God. And He calls them “the light of the world,” that which enables true perception. An encounter with a disciple will affect the understanding people have of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom.

That experience and that perception are both called Love: seeking the good of the other for the others own sake. Jesus left us with the commandment to “Love one another as I have loved you,” i.e. self-sacrificially. Our first experience is that of being loved without reservation. Then, “They’ll know we are Christians by our love.” We pass it on. How are we, as a community, to do that? I think Guigo the Carthusian gave us a good principle. He wrote:

“You may love others for what they are or may become if you love them. Or you may love them for what you are or may become if you love them.”