First reading (Isaiah 58:7-10). Isaiah speaks about fasting. He tells the people that true fasting (and therefore true religion) is necessarily linked with the practice of justice and with concern for the poor and the needy. Here he assures them that if they follow this way their lives will become luminous. This is the connection with the Gospel.

Gospel (Matthew 5:13-16). Matthew has already introduced Jesus as the light of a darkened world (4:12-16). Now the function of enlightening and guiding a morally confused humanity is shared with his disciples.

Salt and light are powerful images. In the ancient world, salt was one of the most important necessities of life, especially for preserving and seasoning food. So too was light for obvious reasons. Both images are making the same point: Christians are called to bear witness to Christ before unbelievers through their faith and good deeds. When the disciples stop witnessing, they become as useless as salt that has lost its taste or a lamp that doesn’t give light.

Second reading (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). St Paul is at pains to convince the Corinthians that their fascination with worldly wisdom and rhetorical skills can only weaken their faith. He points to himself as an example. When he brought the Gospel to them, he didn’t rely on human cleverness. He came in weakness, preaching a crucified (and risen) Christ, to show that their faith doesn’t depend on human cleverness but on the power of God.