Cost of Discipleship: The Visible Community

The disciples of Jesus are to be the salt of the earth.

Jesus calls from the salt of the earth.

Salt is the most "indispensable necessity of life."

Jesus calls his disciples to be the salt of the earth (not Himself) because He entrusts His work to them.

The disciple community must be faithful to the mission the call of Christ has given it. (Think of this in the context of our beloved Army... what happens when we are not faithful to the mission that the call of Christ has given us...?)

In the imperishability of salt we have we have a guarantee of the permanence of the divine community.

"Ye are the salt." Jesus does not say: "You must be the salt." It is not for the disciples to decide whether they will be the sale of the earth, for they are so whether they like it or not, they have been made salt by the call they have received.

The call of Christ makes those who response to it the salt of the earth.

Salt can lose its saltiness. 

"The call of Jesus Christ means either that we are the salt of the earth, or else we are annihilated; either we follow the call or we are crushed between it. There is no question of a second chance."

The call makes disciples the light of the world.

This light is not an instrument that has been put into the disciples hands, such as their preaching. It is the disciples themselves.

The call can be denied. Extinguished. This happens due to fear, idols, false allegiances, deliberate conformity to the world, complacency, comfort on all levels, entitlement, pride...

Christ calls. We respond. We bear Him image.

The call keeps us.

Communion with Him matters.