Today’s Gospel continues the Sermon on the Mount, following immediately after the Beatitudes. In this passage, the Lord uses two powerful images to describe His followers: salt and light. He tells His disciples, "You are the salt of the earth... the light of the world." There is something profound in the fact that He chose to say this to a group of ordinary people from Galilee who had no social standing or influence.

The disciples had already become the light of the world and the salt of the earth because the Gospel had taken root within them. By accepting and embracing the Lord’s message, their hearts and minds were being fundamentally reshaped into true instruments of grace.

The common thread between salt and light is their sacrificial nature. To give light, a flame must consume its source; to season food, salt must disappear into it. Both elements fulfill their mission by giving of themselves. These images illustrate the disciples' ultimate calling: to banish the darkness of sin with their light and to bring back the "flavor" of grace to a world made bland by original sin.

The Lord also offers a cautionary word about the responsibility of their mission. He warns that salt which has lost its essence is no longer useful for anything but to be thrown away. Transitioning to the image of the city on a hill, He reminds them that their witness is meant to be visible. A lamp is not lit to be smothered by a bushel; it is meant to be elevated, providing light for the entire household.

The immense privilege of discipleship—being purified by the Lord's grace and His word—carries with it an equally profound responsibility. To receive such a gift is to accept the solemn duty of remaining faithful to the mission He has placed in our hands.

We might wonder: how many of these disciples failed to keep their "saltiness," or chose to hide their light under a bowl? We know that many walked away when the Lord spoke of eating His body and drinking His blood. Yet, the Twelve—with the sole exception of Judas—fulfilled their mission with remarkable devotion. The light they reflected and the flavor of the Gospel they preserved have reached us today, and they will continue to nourish believers for all time.

Twenty centuries later, the mission endures: the Lord still calls His disciples to be salt and light. This sacred task of seasoning and illuminating the world is a privilege bestowed upon the whole Church—a gift that demands our total faithfulness. We are urged to keep the Gospel’s flavor alive in our hearts and to ensure the light we have received is never concealed but held high for all to see.

In the same way that salt and light are consumed to fulfill their purpose, we are called to offer the very essence of who we are. Our mission is realized not by holding back, but by pouring ourselves out for the sake of the Gospel.

Let us humbly ask the Lord to grant us the grace to illuminate the world with our deeds and to bring the life-giving savor of the Gospel to all those around us.