Jesus told us that He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it (Matt 5:17), He also went on to say, “For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until it is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 5:18 & 19) Jesus then goes on to speak about the Old Law, which He defines and perfects for His listeners. (See Matt 5:21-48) Incidentally, many scholars take Jesus’ action here as one of the signs of His divinity, because Jesus would not dare to improve on the Commandments of God, if He had not been God himself.
Morality is not just about abstaining from evil, but is an obligation to participate in the good. St Anthony of Padua wrote, “A work done without devotion of the heart is like a lamp without oil.” For the Christian, our social action must be done for the love of God. If we pray to the Holy Spirit before we begin, asking Him to guide us and work through us, then our work becomes sanctified and has greater value – for ourselves and for the recipients. It is in the example of our daily lives, living a good clean moral life for the love of Christ, with joy in our hearts, that we can best evangelise our faith. St Francis of Assisi once said, “We must preach the gospel boldly, and sometimes we must use words”.
When it comes to speaking to others about Jesus our words can sometimes seem judgmental, which they must never be, but in our good actions we can speak clearly to people without making them feel uncomfortable. Jesus told us, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matt 5:16) He tells us that we are to be the “salt” and the “light” of this world. If we live out our faith to its fullness, with intensity, others will see Jesus in us and be drawn to question why our lives are so different – and we will be different – and we should be different! For some people we may be the only Jesus they ever get to see. Apart from seeing our good conduct they should also see in us God’s love, and the fruits of the Holy Spirit which are: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control, these are the fruits of the Spirit mentioned by Paul in Galatians 5:22 & 23
Let us try our best to be the Light and Salt of our world, let us witness with kind words, good intentions, moral lives and cheerful self-giving hearts. Let us be the face of God upon the earth: His arms that embrace, His guiding hand and His loving smile. Let everyone see the love of God through us His mystical body. Let us try to do all things out of love – expecting no reward. Let us give all things, endure all things, and forgive all things, for the love of Jesus, and for no other reward than knowing that we are fulfilling His will. We cannot do much, but just a smile or a kindness done, can often speak more than a thousand words. To be the light of the world means simply to let God’s love be clearly seen by others.

Let us pray together: Heavenly Father, pour Your Spirit of love into our hearts; may we be Your loving children. Let nothing enter our hearts that is not of Your love. May the grace of the Holy Spirit inspire all our actions, that we may be one with You in being the light of the world. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.