Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time A
Since
the days of Advent,
right
up to last Sunday’s feast of the Presentation of the Lord,
we’ve
been reflecting quite a bit on light…
…so
this Sunday, I thought it best for us
to
get salty instead.
Last
Sunday was the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life,
so
last Saturday night Fr. Tom and I hosted
the
Ursuline Sisters and the Grey Nuns for dinner.
It
was a delightful evening.
But
it’s always a challenge
when
you have Sr. Rita Frances over for a meal:
she’s
rather allergic to garlic…
…and
garlic is in a lot more things than you ever stop to realize.
But
even when you’ve certified that all the food is 100% garlic-free,
there’s
another issue Sister must face:
following
surgery a few years back,
she
lost nearly all of her sense of taste.
Being
a bit of a “foodie,”
I
can’t begin to imagine what a heavy cross that would be!
You
keep eating, of course, because you still get hungry
and
you need to fuel your body,
and
you chew every bite to get it down,
but
without any of the usual delight that flavor brings.
Which
is precisely why Sr. Rita Frances
was
giddy as a schoolgirl last Saturday night:
for
some reason, she could taste everything that I brought to the table.
It
was like I’d sprinkled it with pixie dust or something.
She
practically floated out the door—so happy was she—
when
dinner was over,
and
was still talking glowingly about the meal on Friday.
“You
are the salt of the earth,” says Jesus.
Salt
is the most common of seasonings.
There’s
hardly a recipe in which salt does not show up.
It’s
a rather ordinary part of our daily lives.
Jesus
is telling us that we Christians need to be everywhere,
that
our faith needs to be brought to bear on every aspect of life.
Not
something reserved for special occasions,
our
relationship with him must be a part of everyday living.
Like salt, we
should get into everything,
so
that Jesus can get into everything.
As
a seasoning, salt doesn’t exist for it’s own sake.
Salt
is used to enhance other flavors.
(No
one sits down to eat a plate of it alone, after all.)
When
used properly, salt is a humble seasoning:
not
drawing attention to itself,
but
highlighting flavors which are already there—
bringing
out the best in whatever it touches.
Likewise,
Jesus is telling us that we Christians
don’t
manufacture God’s presence or grace;
our
mission is to make them more evident—
not
working for our own sakes but for those of others,
and
not—like salt—drawing the attention to ourselves.
Salt
isn’t only used to season food;
it’s
also used to preserve it.
In an
age before refrigeration, especially in a hot climate,
uncured
meat would go bad rather quickly.
In a
world filled with corrupting powers,
we
need spiritual preservatives, too,
to
prevent souls from being spoiled.
Jesus
is telling us that salty Christians, sprinkled all around,
must
have that saving effect.
And
while salt is used to season,
it’s
not like herbs and spices which are blended in
merely
for our pleasure or amusement.
Salt
is an essential nutrient for life—necessary and indispensible.
Jesus
is telling us that the world would be in rather tough shape
if we
weren’t in the mix making his presence known.
Is it
possible to add too much salt?
Of course.
And
when salt is overdone,
it
not only ruins the taste of things
but
is also bad for your health.
Yet
on a spiritual level,
the
greater danger is not too much salt, but too little.
Christians
who fail to stay salty—
who
lose touch with their purpose in the world,
who
become untrue to their Christ-given mission—
aren’t
good for very much else.
Does
your faith give flavor and relish to your life?
Is it
the joyful seasoning which enhances everything else?
A healthy
preservative from temptation and sin?
An essential
nutrient you can’t live without?
Because
if the salt of faith has gone flat for you,
then
it’s going to be hard to go out
and
be salty for others.
We live
in a world that has lost much of its sense of taste.
Many
folks keep trying to tickle their taste buds…
…but
end up swallowing all the wrong things.
In an
otherwise dull, even bitter, existence,
the
world around us desperately needs Christians
filled
with zest and joy, with zeal and enthusiasm.
Let
Jesus season your life—all of it—
and
then go:
be the
salt of the earth.
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