Salt and Light

The Gospel for today (Tuesday) emphasizes the need for us to make God known.  Whether in big ways or small ways, it doesn’t matter.  But we must be giving it our all in our efforts.  What ways are we attempting to make God known to others?

When we are living our lives to make Christ known and when our attempts and efforts are strong, then others will see Christ in us.  In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus tells his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth””  and “You are the light of the world.”

So what exactly does this mean?  In Jesus’ time, salt was a very important and necessary ingredient.  It was used for flavor and preservation of meat and other foods.  As disciples, we are called to preserve our faith by passing on and sharing the Gospel with others.  We also must be different from those in the world around us by adding something that the world doesn’t have: Jesus and his love.  His mercy.  His forgiveness.  His compassion.  By sharing these values with those around us, we can help enhance the world with a flavor that it so desperately needs.  There is a lot of darkness in the world.  So many people are without hope.  There is despair, fear, violence, hatred, bitterness, and anger.  As Christians, we need to bring the light of Christ to the world around us.  Our witness to the Gospel and our lives as Christians can have a huge effect on the world and other people.  Each one of us is only one person and our witness may be small, but it can grow the kingdom of God, one person at a time.

When we are determined, open, and willing to share our faith with others, we will find ourselves in many different situations that may be unexpected.  In these times, we must make the choice to stand by Christ and our faith, even when it is hard, uncomfortable, and it seems like the whole world is against us. 

How can we do this?  It starts with listening to the Holy Spirit.  If we pray to be open to the Holy Spirit and listen to how we are being led, we will be able to better recognize the ways in which God is calling us to glorify Him and make Him known to others.  This requires not only listening, but then also trusting and surrendering.
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If we are truly following the call to be the “salt of the earth” and “light of the world”, we will be required to get out of our comfort zones.  May we all go out into the world, being salt and light, making Him known!