“What Does Jesus Say I Am? #1”

“You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.” – Matt 5:13-14

1. Jesus’ Image of Us – That Jesus saw His friends and followers as the salt of the earth and the light of the world speaks of His image of them. Not only were they good and desirable unto themselves, but more importantly, they would make all else good and desirable. Where there was complacency and dullness, they would bring the spice of life. Where there was fear and despair, they would bring true faith and eternal hope. More importantly, Jesus’ image continues for each of us that we too are to be an example to the world that seeing the goodness in us, here on earth, that we may come to know the goodness of the Father in heaven.
2. The Franciscan Image – Francis of Assisi bound himself to the power of Jesus so that Jesus’ image of him would burn through all of the worldly condition, the human armor, the spiritual dullness, such that he would see the likeness of the Most High God in the radiance of the sun and the divine presence and splendor in the brightness of the moon. In binding himself to Jesus and binding himself to his companions, Francis bound all Franciscans to the virtue, to the power, and to the guidance of Jesus.
3. My Image – My every thought, my every desire, my every decision not only reflects what I am but what I will be. Hence the importance of critical self‑examination. What is the path that I have placed myself on and will it lead to the end that I desire for myself? Can I say of myself that I am a reflection of God’s image of me? Can others say of me, at least occasionally, that I am the salt of the earth, the light of the world? The state of my soul is directed by my will. For what I long for, what I imagine, I become. What is my image of myself and is it Jesus’ image of what I am to be?

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