"You are the salt of the earthˇK You are the light of the world"ˇKthe emphasis is unmistakeable. The already and would-be disciples have their mission spelt out in familiar images of salt and light.

To be 'salt' is a life-giving mission - in the process of giving taste to food, seasoning or preserving food what happens to the salt? It disappears and ceases to exist as an entity. This is our mission too as disciples. By giving our own lives to others we fulfil our mission - becoming 'salt' is a call to serve and give our lives in service. Jesus came 'not to be served but to serve'. John the Baptist said of his own mission: "He must increase and I must decrease".

The imagery Jesus uses for light is that of an oil-lamp. Just as the oil is consumed and the wick is burnt away in the process of giving light, so too disciples of Jesus find their identity and fulfil their mission by giving their lives in the service of others. Jesus is the ultimate example and the norm of life for us. The poverty-stricken widow of Zarephath gave away the last meal she had kept for herself and her son. Thus she became the 'salt' and 'light' of the Sidonian town.