From the Pastor's Desk - February 8, 2026

Dear St. Martin’s Parishioners,

Jesus calls his disciples in this Sunday’s gospel to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Salt was used as a preservative in the time of Jesus, since refrigeration didn’t exist. It kept food from rotting. So Christians are to preserve society to keep it from the corruption that is the result of sin. Jesus warns his disciples, though, that if they turn away from their call to be salt by their upright and Holy Spirit-inspired actions, they are only worthy of being “thrown out and trampled underfoot.” A Catholic school teacher was telling me recently about a parent who tried to cajole her into giving her son’s grade a boost, so that it would go from a B to an A. The teacher mentioned that this isn’t an uncommon practice—in a Catholic school of all places! In little ways and big—and more often in little ways that we justify— Catholics can turn away from honesty, charity, purity, prudence, and the other virtues. Instead we take on worldly attitudes, aims and actions that don’t build up society but contribute to its corruption. When we become worldly, we lose our Christian identity, which is a worse state than a non-Christian who may act in the same way. “To whom much is given, much is expected.”

Jesus calls us to be the light of the world, not so that people may praise us for our goodness, but that “they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” Our good deeds aren’t self-referential, but should point others to God, who alone is good. According to this Sunday’s gospel, the dangers that lurk in our Christian vocation are:

1. Worldliness: “If salt loses its taste, then it is good for nothing . . .” Do I act virtuously or do I cut corners in the moral life to benefit myself and my own aims?

2. Fear: “Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a bushel basket.” Is my desire greater to fit in with the world around me rather than shining the light of Christ’s truth and goodness in the midst of moral confusion?

3. Pride: Do I try to lead others to Christ through my words and actions, or are they to elicit the admiration of others?

The saints are those who understand and accept their call to be salt and light, in spite of their own fears or risk of rejection. God gives us the grace to follow in their footsteps, because the world needs us!

In Christ,

Fr. Dave