Salt

 

You are the salt of the earth.  But what if salt goes flat?  How
can you restore its flavor?  Then it is good for nothing, but to
be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

St. John of Capistrano (Feast Day October 23) wrote: “Those who are called to the table of the Lord must glow with the brightness that comes from the good example of a praiseworthy and blameless life… Their upright lives must make them like the salt of the earth for themselves and the rest of mankind.  The brightness of their wisdom must make them like the light of the world that brings light to others.

Speak out when the time is right; do not hide your wisdom.
Preach the word, persevere in the task, both when convenient
and inconvenient; correct, reprove, summon to obedience,
but do all with patience and sound doctrine.
--- Sirach 4:23-4; 2Tim 4:2

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The above readings (amidst a little quiet prayer time) opened my mind to see an old Gospel passage in a new light.  When I had previously read about salt going bad and being useless, I thought how in Biblical times salt was used as a preservative (it still is in today’s canned goods), and when salt went bad, food spoiled.  So. I interpreted the Bible as saying I need to read the Bible and pray (continually get new salt) so my faith doesn’t go bad.  I saw salt as likened to a growth or renewal in faith.  But now I see more.

Salt also makes one thirsty for more.  Drinking salt water will never quench your thirst; you want more.  Good evangelization, good homilies, good faith writings are salt to me --- a good thing, and they make me thirst for more.  But bad evangelization, homilies, not reading faith writings will let my faith die of thirst.  Salt can also be considered as something which opens a new existence or insight, like when salt is put on ice; it melts it and makes it safer.  Good uses of salt can soften hardened hearts.

The epitome of bad salt was Lot’s wife, who turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back with yearning on the city of Sodom.  Yearning for evil, rather than going forward to the good, leads to death.

The salt we need to yearn for is the love of God; because when we yearn for love of self we can never get enough, and so we die.  Sometimes it is hard to yearn for the good salt, it feels like the salt put on an open wound.  We want to scream in pain when the salt is applied, but the salt destroys infection, a critically important life-saving thing.  Even when it’s hard to take, we must take the salt.

“You are the salt of the earth.”  The words were spoken to the Apostles, but they are meant for us also.  We are meant to evangelize with our lives, not to just preserve others, like meat preserved with salt, but to create a yearning in them for more, to melt hearts to crave the love of God.

Speak out when the time is right.  Preach the word … when convenient
and inconvenient.  And do all with patience.

I thought living a good life consisted of tossing seeds as I walked righteously for others to see, and then for God to nourish and grow the seeds.  But I now see spreading salt is important also, perhaps more important, and so I need to grow in faith and understanding, to make sure the salt I spread doesn’t grow old.  Sunday church alone isn’t good enough.  I need to grow in faith and grow in the opportunities for it to be spread to others.

And what if I don’t grow in faith?  Then it is good for nothing, but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

Be the salt of the earth.  Spread the Word, even as you grow in it.  Don’t seek the love of self the world sows, or you will get lots of salt, as did Lot’s wife.