The Gospel continues Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount which was read last Sunday. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus referred to his followers as the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Mt 5:13-16). In the ancient world, before the invention of refrigeration, salt was used as a preservative for meat or fish, and in modern times it is used to make food tasty. The disciples of Jesus are invited to spice up the earth as “the salt of the earth” by being agents of hope, peace, love, harmony, meaning and social justice. Jesus said that if salt has lost its essential property it is not useful anymore; it would be thrown away on the footpath to be trampled upon.

When one betrays one’s identity as a Christian through apostasy or blasphemy, or by being unrepentant of grave sins, that disciple of Christ is like the salt that has lost its taste. We must realise that we can do nothing if we are estranged from Jesus, for he came to seek and find those who were lost (Lk 19:10). Hence, when we wander away from his path, we should acknowledge our sins and come back to him.

Jesus also proclaimed: “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hilltop cannot be hidden.” Our vocation as Christians has set us apart as a city built on a hilltop. We recall that Jesus had also referred to himself as the “light of the world”, who ensures that his followers do not walk in darkness (Jn 8:12). Thus, for us to be the “light of the world” is to be another Christ. We become another Christ through our reception of the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Matrimony (for married people), and Orders (for deacons and priests).

The First Reading reminds us that it is through the feeding of the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the needy and being charitable to one’s family members that our light shines.

Jesus was adamant in the Gospel that we must allow our light to shine so that people can see our good works and give praise to God. Our faith in Jesus Christ should not merely be a private matter; it must have external manifestations. St James had warned that faith which has no good work to back it up is dead! (Jm 2:17).

In our relationship with our fellow human beings, we should be conscious that each person — no matter the colour of his skin or height or intelligence or place of birth or gender — is created in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27). Christ shed his blood on the cross for the redemption of all humanity. As Christians our desire should be to lift people up, to ensure that people have a better life, to rejoice with those who rejoice and to console the sorrowful, to stand shoulder to shoulder with the oppressed and be a voice to the voiceless. In this way, the light of Christ will continue to shine through you.