We already are salt of the earth and light of the world

[Gabrielle Dean]

Jesus does not tell his listeners to become salt or to manufacture light. He says, simply and insistently, “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world.”   In a world that constantly asks us to prove our worth, Jesus begins by telling us who we already are.

Salt works invisibly. It dissolves, disappears, and yet alters everything it touches. It does not draw attention to itself, and when it does, something has gone wrong. Light, on the other hand, is visible by nature, but in a way, it does not strive to be seen; it simply shines because it is what it is. Held together, these images offer a profound contemplative tension. The spiritual life of faith is both hidden and revealed, both hidden and obvious. 

A life grounded in prayer and contemplation does not withdraw from the world, but it also does not compete for recognition within it. Salt does not shout its presence; light does not explain itself. Both are expressions of being rather than doing.

The light Jesus speaks of is not self-generated; it is reflected. It is the natural outshining of a life aligned with God. When the inner life is tended, the outer life begins to glow.