Salt and Light: Formation for Influence

This Sunday’s Gospel is taken from the Sermon on the Mount, found in Chapters 5 to 7 of St. Matthew’s Gospel. It is a foundational teaching of Jesus that we will continue to hear proclaimed over the next five Sundays.

In this defining moment of Jesus’ ministry, he appears as a new Moses. Just as Moses received the commandments on the mountain, Jesus now teaches from a mountain. But he does more than repeat the law. He deepens it. Building on the Ten Commandments, Jesus forms his disciples by shaping not only their actions, but the disposition of their hearts.

The Sermon on the Mount is not a speech for the crowds alone; it is a formation program for disciples. Jesus raises the moral bar and invites his followers to live at a new level, where faith is not reduced to rules, but expressed through integrity, responsibility, and love.

As we listen to the Gospel readings this week, we are invited to pay close attention to Jesus’ instructions on what it truly means to live a Christian life.

It is within this context that Jesus issues a direct challenge: “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world.” These images, along with bread, water, seeds, coin, among others, come from daily life and are deliberately simple.

Salt and light do not exist for themselves. Salt gives flavor and preserves. Light serves by illuminating the way. In using these images, Jesus makes clear the mission and purpose of the Christian community: to exist not inwardly, but outwardly, for the good of others.

In Jesus’s time, salt was essential for both people and animals, especially in the intense heat. Large blocks of salt were brought by merchants to the public square. As people took what they needed, the remaining residue would fall to the ground, lose its flavor, and be trampled underfoot. Jesus draws on this familiar image to warn his disciples: a community that loses its purpose becomes irrelevant. Salt that no longer gives flavor serves no one.

He follows this with the image of light. No one lights a lamp and hides it. A city built on a hilltop cannot be concealed. Light is meant to be seen, not for self-promotion, but for service. In the same way, the Christian community should not be afraid to let the good it does be visible. Not to draw attention to itself, but so that God’s goodness may be known through it.

The message is clear: salt does not exist for itself; light does not exist for itself. Neither should a community, an organization, or a leader. Faith, like leadership, cannot remain enclosed or self-referential. It must engage, illuminate, and serve.

Jesus concludes with a purpose statement that still challenges us today: “Your light must shine in people’s sight, so that seeing your good works, they may give praise to your Father in heaven.”

This week, do not just listen to the Sermon on the Mount. Act on it. Do it openly, not for applause, but because it needs to be done.

When salt keeps its flavor and light is placed where it can be seen, communities grow stronger, and the world moves in the right direction.

About the writer: Fr. Donnie Duchin Duya, SDB serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Don Bosco Press, Inc. He preaches retreats and recollections and is a spiritual director to religious and lay people.

EDITORIAL NOTE

The reflection on the Gospel of Salt and Light reminds us that leadership begins not with titles, but with purpose. In JCI Manila, we are constantly called to be more than organizers of events. We are formed to become people who add value, preserve what is good, and bring clarity and direction to the communities we serve. These are the same values that our President, Edison Ke, continues to champion through his member-first platform, where every initiative begins with empowering people before programs.

President Edison often says, “I am only here because I chose to be brave.” That simple line captures the heart of servant leadership. To be salt of the earth and light of the world is to lead with courage, integrity, and responsibility, not for recognition, but so that others may grow, be inspired, and find their own path to serve. Like light placed on a lampstand, our good works are meant to be seen, not to glorify ourselves, but to point to something greater.

The Asian Pearl exists to tell these stories of ordinary members doing meaningful things in extraordinary ways. As we continue our projects and commitments, may we remember that real influence is measured not by applause, but by the positive difference we create in the lives of others. That is the mission we share. That is JCI Manila.