The Evangelical Pope | Salt and Light

Each week we let Saint Pope John Paul II share meaningful signposts to spark socio-economic resolves through justice and righteousness combined with mercy and compassion; in short, love.

               ¹³ "You are the salt of the earth. But how can the salt be made salty again if it loses its saltiness? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

               ¹⁴ "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 

               ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, giving everyone in the house light. 

               ¹⁶ Similarly, let your light shine before others so they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

               __ Matthew 5:13-16 (New International Version)

The Vatican – 4 November 2000 | The times in which God has granted us to live are in many ways dark and filled with difficulties, for they are times in which the very future of humanity is at stake in the new millennium opening up before us.

               In many men and women today, fear and uncertainty prevail: Where are we going? What will humanity's fate be in the next century? Where are the extraordinary scientific discoveries of recent years, especially in biology and genetics, leading us?

               We are conscious of being merely at the beginning of a journey, but we do not know where it will take us and whether it will bring benefit or harm to the men and women of the twenty-first century.

               As Christians living in these formidable yet beautiful times, we share in the fears, the uncertainties, and the questioning of our contemporaries.

Yet we are not pessimistic about the future, for we have the certainty that Jesus Christ is the Lord of history, and in the Gospel, we find the light that illuminates our way, even in moments of difficulty and darkness.

Excerpted from:

Jubilee of Government Leaders, Members of Parliament and Politicians, Address of The Holy Father John Paul II,* Saturday, 4 November 2000

https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/speeches/2000/oct-dec/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20001104_jubil-parlgov.html