Christians, called to be the flavour of life (salt) and light that dispels the darkness of evil

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, at St. Mark’s Pastoral Area, Gbuduwyi, Abuja, 08.02.2026. Homily by Archbishop I. A. Kaigama

Readings: Isaiah 58:7–10; 1 Corinthians 2:1–5; Matthew 5:13–16

Theme: Christians, called to be the flavour of life (salt) and light that dispels the darkness of evil

I sincerely thank your priest-in-charge, Fr. Clement Ujah, the catechist, lay leaders, and all the faithful of St. Mark’s Pastoral Area, Gbuduwyi, for your warm welcome and for your dedication, which I have heard about and now see and experience. This is evident in the number of those to be confirmed today, the installation of your new tabernacle, and your new grotto of our Lady, which we shall bless. You have really grown, considering how you started from a humble beginning, celebrating Mass under a tree in 2015, then becoming an outstation of St. Rita Dakwo, and now, a pastoral area on the highway to becoming a parish by God’s grace and the cooperation of all of you.

Today, our readings invite us to reflect on salt and light, the identity conferred on us Christians by Christ.

Imagine that we have no torch, lamp, generator, solar energy, electricity, and the moon and sun are not shining! What a world it shall be! The Genesis narrative in chapter 1:2 tells us how God created the light to illumine the earth, which at creation was empty and unoccupied, and darkness was over the face of the abyss, “And God said, ‘Let there be light.’ And light became” (cf. Gn 1:3).

Salt is a great gift to our taste buds, and it plays a great role in facilitating our bodily nourishment and other gastronomic needs. Imagine your pork, beef, chicken, “ofe onugbu,” “ofe nsala,” or “ofe oha” without salt! Think of salt as a preservative, especially in the days of our forefathers, who had neither electricity nor refrigerator to preserve their food! How lucky we are that we have these two essential commodities!

In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls us the salt and light of the world. He does not say you will become salt and light; He says, “you are.” This is not a future promise but a present responsibility. By virtue of our baptism, Christ has already made us salt and light. When we were baptized, the light of Christ was entrusted to our parents and godparents with these words: “Receive the light of Christ…This light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly…, to walk always as children of light.”

Jesus says that we, His disciples, are the “salt of the earth” (Mt 5:13), because we are essential to the world in preserving it from spoiling. Without salt, our food becomes tasteless and quickly spoils. When Jesus calls us “the salt of the earth,” He is telling us that the world depends on our moral and spiritual presence. As salt to our world, we must try to preserve it from greed, injustice, and lust, preserving it from decaying because of dishonesty and hatred. We are called to be salt in the world, transforming it through Christian values such as sharing, upholding human rights, and decency. Jesus adds: “If salt loses its taste, it is no longer good for anything.” Put differently, faith that is not lived – faith without integrity, charity, and courage – loses its power.

The Christian faith is not meant to be private or invisible. It must be seen in honesty at work, in compassion toward the poor, in forgiveness within families, and in courage to stand for truth. Isaiah makes this very practical. He says, “Share your bread with the hungry… then your light shall rise in the darkness” (Is 58: 10).

The exiled Jews who returned from Babylon were eager for a quick restoration of their fallen Jerusalem, but for them, the process was too slow. Prophet Isaiah in the first reading made them realize that their social progress and political stability were tied to bringing light to others by alleviating the sufferings of the poor, being just; “sharing bread with the hungry, sheltering the homeless and clothing the naked” (cf. Is. 58:7). This has some lessons for us in Nigeria. The responsorial psalm confirms Isaiah’s plea. By being generous, merciful, and just, the good person “is a light in the darkness for the upright” (Ps 111:4).

True Christian light shines not through loud words, but through works of mercy and justice. We are urged to be “light of the world,” illuminating our homes and communities with truth, justice, and peace, and guiding the world along the way shown by Christ. Jesus gives us the reason clearly: “that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Mt 5:16). We are not asked to be spotlights that dazzle the world, building a cult around us, or emerging as local champions in our immediate environments.

In the second reading, St. Paul reminds us that Christian witness does not rely on eloquence or human wisdom, but on the power of God. Our lives should not draw attention to ourselves but lead others to God. A Christian life that points only to itself becomes self-righteous. A Christian life that points to God becomes evangelization.

Dear brothers and sisters, the world today does not need more noise, eloquent preachers, miracles; it needs salt. It does not need more arguments; it needs light. By this, we mean Christians who give life its true flavour, which are truth, love, justice, etc. And just as salt can sting as well as heal, so, too, we are called to be courageous in confronting, challenging, and correcting the abuses that today scar the face of humanity.

The Lord’s appeal, “Share your bread with the hungry and shelter the homeless and clothe the naked” (Is 58:7) still resounds today, and it resounds louder than ever in our country. The naked are those whose human dignity is denied, who stand today without protection, power, or hope, such as the internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the helpless persons languishing in the bush in the hands of kidnappers, bandits, or terrorists. We should all be bothered.

It is the obligation of our political leaders to clothe such “naked” persons by establishing a Nigerian society in which exploitation is replaced by an equitable distribution of the enormous wealth God has given us; that recruitment, employment, and admission should all be based on the recognition of the dignity of each person, regardless of tribe or religion or social status.

Dear friends, after news of the latest killings and abductions from Kwara, Zamfara, Kaduna, Benue to Plateau States, we must fervently return to the prayer composed by the Catholic Bishops for “Nigeria in Distress.”

Let us, in this special Year of St. Francis, declared by Pope Leo XIV, in honour of the 800th anniversary of the Saint’s death, invoke loudly his intercession that God will make us, including those who kidnap, terrorize, kill, and destroy, instruments of peace and social harmony.