{"id":3162,"date":"2026-02-06T09:00:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T09:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/?p=3162"},"modified":"2026-02-02T14:50:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T14:50:12","slug":"weekly-reflection-february-8-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/weekly-reflection-february-8-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekly Reflection \u2013 February 8, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Be Salt and Light in the World<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cYou are the salt of the earth\u2026 You are the light of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Salt and light are so ordinary\u2014present in nearly every home, every meal, every sunrise\u2014and yet, in Jesus\u2019 hands, they become extraordinary images of the Christian life.<\/p>\n<p>Salt preserves, enhances, and even heals. A sprinkle of salt enhances the taste of food, making even my cooking more palatable. In the same way, our faith is not meant to stay hidden or unused; it is to preserve goodness in the world and bring flavor to every encounter. When I am grumpy, tempted to gossip, or feeling too tired to pray, I ask the Lord to remind me: I am His salt, called to enhance the world with His presence.<\/p>\n<p>Light pierces every dark corner and dispels every clouded thought. Darkness is not chased away by shouting at it or wishing it gone. It only retreats when light appears. Christ\u2019s light shines in and through us, not so that we can boast or draw attention to ourselves, but so that others may \u201csee Your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Each day, we should ask ourselves: Am I dimming my light out of fear, pride, or selfishness, or am I letting it shine to draw others closer to Christ? Staying close to Christ, through prayer, participating in the sacraments, and reading Scriptures keeps flavor in my spiritual salt and keeps my light shining for all to see.<\/p>\n<p>Lord, may my life radiate Your light and sprinkle Your love generously, so that others may come to know and glorify You.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2081\" data-end=\"2103\"><strong>\u2014 <em>Allison Gingras<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2105\" data-end=\"2170\"><em data-start=\"2105\" data-end=\"2170\">Reflection provided by diocesan.com. Reprinted with permission.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Be Salt and Light in the World \u201cYou are the salt of the earth\u2026 You are the light of the world.\u201d Salt and light are so ordinary\u2014present in nearly every home, every meal, every sunrise\u2014and yet, in Jesus\u2019 hands, they become extraordinary images of the Christian life. Salt preserves, enhances, and even heals. A sprinkle of salt enhances the taste  [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-weekly-reflections"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Weekly Reflection \u2013 February 8, 2026 - St. Paul Church Macomb, IL<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/weekly-reflection-february-8-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Weekly Reflection \u2013 February 8, 2026 - St. Paul Church Macomb, IL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Be Salt and Light in the World \u201cYou are the salt of the earth\u2026 You are the light of the world.\u201d Salt and light are so ordinary\u2014present in nearly every home, every meal, every sunrise\u2014and yet, in Jesus\u2019 hands, they become extraordinary images of the Christian life. Salt preserves, enhances, and even heals. A sprinkle of salt enhances the taste [...]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/weekly-reflection-february-8-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"St. Paul Church Macomb, IL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-06T09:00:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sharon Hoffbeck\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sharon Hoffbeck\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stpaulmacomb.com\\\/church\\\/weekly-reflection-february-8-2026\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stpaulmacomb.com\\\/church\\\/weekly-reflection-february-8-2026\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sharon Hoffbeck\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/stpaulmacomb.com\\\/church\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/acb61c75fef17abec1cdbb5a54e50eaf\"},\"headline\":\"Weekly Reflection \u2013 February 8, 2026\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-06T09:00:59+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stpaulmacomb.com\\\/church\\\/weekly-reflection-february-8-2026\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":288,\"articleSection\":[\"Weekly Reflections\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stpaulmacomb.com\\\/church\\\/weekly-reflection-february-8-2026\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stpaulmacomb.com\\\/church\\\/weekly-reflection-february-8-2026\\\/\",\"name\":\"Weekly Reflection \u2013 February 8, 2026 - St. Paul Church Macomb, IL\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/stpaulmacomb.com\\\/church\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-06T09:00:59+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/stpaulmacomb.com\\\/church\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/acb61c75fef17abec1cdbb5a54e50eaf\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stpaulmacomb.com\\\/church\\\/weekly-reflection-february-8-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/stpaulmacomb.com\\\/church\\\/weekly-reflection-february-8-2026\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stpaulmacomb.com\\\/church\\\/weekly-reflection-february-8-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\\\/\\\/stpaulmacomb.com\\\/church\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Weekly Reflection \u2013 February 8, 2026\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/stpaulmacomb.com\\\/church\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/stpaulmacomb.com\\\/church\\\/\",\"name\":\"St. Paul Church Macomb, IL\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\\\/\\\/stpaulmacomb.com\\\/church\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/stpaulmacomb.com\\\/church\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/acb61c75fef17abec1cdbb5a54e50eaf\",\"name\":\"Sharon Hoffbeck\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/90a0732eea10c0dd6fe380ef1128ae09ca1f12d4f4d77e69e29388dc0791ad71?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/90a0732eea10c0dd6fe380ef1128ae09ca1f12d4f4d77e69e29388dc0791ad71?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/90a0732eea10c0dd6fe380ef1128ae09ca1f12d4f4d77e69e29388dc0791ad71?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Sharon Hoffbeck\"},\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/stpaulmacomb.com\\\/church\\\/author\\\/shoffbeck\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Weekly Reflection \u2013 February 8, 2026 - St. Paul Church Macomb, IL","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/weekly-reflection-february-8-2026\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Weekly Reflection \u2013 February 8, 2026 - St. Paul Church Macomb, IL","og_description":"Be Salt and Light in the World \u201cYou are the salt of the earth\u2026 You are the light of the world.\u201d Salt and light are so ordinary\u2014present in nearly every home, every meal, every sunrise\u2014and yet, in Jesus\u2019 hands, they become extraordinary images of the Christian life. Salt preserves, enhances, and even heals. A sprinkle of salt enhances the taste [...]","og_url":"https:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/weekly-reflection-february-8-2026\/","og_site_name":"St. Paul Church Macomb, IL","article_published_time":"2026-02-06T09:00:59+00:00","author":"Sharon Hoffbeck","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sharon Hoffbeck"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/weekly-reflection-february-8-2026\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/weekly-reflection-february-8-2026\/"},"author":{"name":"Sharon Hoffbeck","@id":"http:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/#\/schema\/person\/acb61c75fef17abec1cdbb5a54e50eaf"},"headline":"Weekly Reflection \u2013 February 8, 2026","datePublished":"2026-02-06T09:00:59+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/weekly-reflection-february-8-2026\/"},"wordCount":288,"articleSection":["Weekly Reflections"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/weekly-reflection-february-8-2026\/","url":"https:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/weekly-reflection-february-8-2026\/","name":"Weekly Reflection \u2013 February 8, 2026 - St. Paul Church Macomb, IL","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-02-06T09:00:59+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/#\/schema\/person\/acb61c75fef17abec1cdbb5a54e50eaf"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/weekly-reflection-february-8-2026\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/weekly-reflection-february-8-2026\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/weekly-reflection-february-8-2026\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Weekly Reflection \u2013 February 8, 2026"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/#website","url":"http:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/","name":"St. Paul Church Macomb, IL","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/#\/schema\/person\/acb61c75fef17abec1cdbb5a54e50eaf","name":"Sharon Hoffbeck","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/90a0732eea10c0dd6fe380ef1128ae09ca1f12d4f4d77e69e29388dc0791ad71?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/90a0732eea10c0dd6fe380ef1128ae09ca1f12d4f4d77e69e29388dc0791ad71?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/90a0732eea10c0dd6fe380ef1128ae09ca1f12d4f4d77e69e29388dc0791ad71?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Sharon Hoffbeck"},"url":"http:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/author\/shoffbeck\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3162"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3163,"href":"http:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3162\/revisions\/3163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}