Matthew 5: 13-16
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Preserve and Protect
In today’s Gospel, the Lord tells his disciples that they are the salt of the earth. Salt was and continues to be a very singular, valuable commodity. In fact, the Latin word for salt is the root of the term ‘salary.’ Salt adds savor to food and enhances the experiences of everyday living. It also has a protective function as it helps to preserve food from spoiling. Salt is also essential for human life from a biochemical perspective as the body requires appropriate levels of electrolytes to continue functioning properly.
There are obvious parallels between Christ’s salt metaphor and the necessity of authentically living into the Christian life. Relationship with God gives life its savor and profoundly elevates the experience of everyday living. Faith in Christ preserves and protects us from the effects of sin, which otherwise would result in decay and death. Relationship with God is also simply essential for eternal life. The human soul cannot function properly without God’s grace.
Christ’s admonition for us is simple and direct, if perhaps a little challenging. Just as the value of salt is directly tied to its saltiness, the value of human life is inherently tied to our relationship with God. We simply cannot live without the love of God.
—Ben Jansen, SJ, is a Midwest Jesuit scholastic teaching English and anthropology at Elisabeth University of Music in Hiroshima, Japan.
Prayer
O Holy and infinitely loving God, you have made us from nothing and you hold us in existence from moment to moment. We cannot exist apart from you. All that we are and all that we have comes from you. Our happiness lies in you alone. Please grant us the grace to see ourselves as we truly are so that we may offer you fitting praise for the infinite myriad of wonders you have wrought for us. Grant us also the grace to desire your love and companionship above all other things. We humbly ask all of these things through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
—Ben Jansen, SJ