🔥 Salted with Fire: How We Become the Light of the World [Part 2/2]

The Power of Being Light

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid." -- Matthew 5:14

Just as salt is essential for life (check this blog), so is light. Light doesn’t just help us see; it gives us a sense of safety, direction, and confidence. In calling us "the light of the world," Jesus is declaring that we are meant to bring clarity, hope, and guidance to a world shrouded in darkness.

This is a direct fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham 

 "in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." -- Genesis 12:3 

Through us, His Church, Jesus is making good on that promise. Our mission is to shine so brightly that others can see our good works and be led to glorify God. It's not about being ostentatious; it's about living a life of serene happiness and extraordinary goodness that sets us apart. As Bishop Dionysius once wrote, this serene happiness is the distinguishing factor of a Christian, a quiet confidence that comes from belonging to Christ.

The Unbreakable Covenant and Holy Fire

So, how do we keep our light from being extinguished? We face a world that constantly tries to compromise our dignity and make us lose our saltiness through addiction, promiscuity, and a culture of "shameless passion." When we break our covenant with God through sin, we feel lost and useless.

But there is hope, and it is found in another powerful phrase from the Gospels.  

"For every one will be salted with fire.Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its saltness, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”  -- Mark 9:49-50

This phrase is often misunderstood, but it holds the key to our restoration.

In the Old Testament, fire was often a symbol of destruction, turning a land into a desolate, salty waste, as seen in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. In this sense, being "salted with fire" means the punishment for breaking our covenant with God we become a desolate, useless pillar, just like Lot's wife.

However, in the New Testament, fire takes on a new meaning. It is the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit. It's this fire that helps us break away from the effects of sin and restore ourselves. The Holy Spirit burns away what is useless within us, giving us the grace to return to God and to live a life worthy of our calling.

Restoring Our Saltiness and Light

The Holy Spirit restores our saltiness by filling us with the fruits of the Spirit. These virtues are the "flavor" we add to the world. 

"Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience." -- Colossians 3:12

As Christians, we are meant to be the soul of the world. The soul is largely invisible, but it is the principal force that gives life to the body. Similarly, our godliness and our quiet goodness moves the world. 

 The first thing you notice when you eat is the salt; the first thing the world should notice about us is our Christ-like goodness, our virtues, and our love.

We are not meant to be a pillar of salt, useless and turned back to sin. We are meant to be a vessel of the Holy Spirit's fire, a source of light for a world in need.

A Closing Prayer:

Lord, we, Your children, with whom You have made a beautiful covenant here on earth by defining us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Lord, help us that we may never lose the saltiness  and the light within ourselves. Through salt You have made me Your own. I belong to You solely; I am Yours. By becoming the light of the world, I remain with You, for You are the Light. Jesus, enkindle your fire upon me that I may be restored today. I may be good for You, good for the world, adding prosperity, riches, wealth, health, life, and blessing for me and others. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.