Whenever someone is called the salt of the earth, and the light of the world, you are saying that they have the right qualities for the fundamentals of life and for the well-being of all society. You have what it takes to preserve a good and orderly society from one generation to the next.It is quite interesting that Jesus tells his disciples, and tells us, that they are the salt of the earth; the preservation of all that is basic and necessary for human life and good social order. It is as if Jesus is telling them that if they fail, everything else falls apart; that they are the people everyone is counting on; and so Jesus is talking to us as well.
Light of the world means that, as part of our being, we naturally reflect who we are, and what we stand for. We give the world insight into why we live, and where we are going. We hold that Christ is the way the truth and the life for all of us, for all society, until the end of time. Everything may fall apart, but the Church will remain. "When we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim your death, O lord, until you come again.” This is a comforting truth, because it means that following Christ is a good decision.
Today, Jesus has given a great compliment calling us the salt of the earth- we are the ones who will provide the foundation for society; we are the ones who will provide light to the world. Not because of our own merits or accomplishments, but because Jesus, who loves us and who died for us, has given us the grace, the ability, to live great lives according to His will.
