Pass the Salt, Please

In the Gospel for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Mt. 5:13-16), Jesus begins his Sermon on the Mount. He preaches the beatitudes to his disciples and compares their influence on the world in his Similes of Salt and Light.

Salt of the Earth

Salt was a precious commodity in first century Galilee and used for everything from lighting a fire to preserving food. Jesus tells his disciples that “you are the salt of the earth.” Salt is an element that is necessary in sustaining our lives, without it the body will die. Jesus also said “you are the light of the world”. To be the light of the world means shining our light for others and being a beacon in the dark.

Lighting the World

In the First Reading from the prophet Isaiah (58:7-10), it says, “Share your bread with the hungry”, “shelter the oppressed”, “clothe the naked”, “do not turn your back on your own” and “then your light shall break forth like the dawn.”

Applying the Message

The world around us seems to be changing so quickly leaving many people living in uncertainty. Maybe it is time to charge up that light of ours and let it radiate so that people will want to ask "What makes you shine? What makes you so joyful? Where does that inner strength come from?" Then you can say over lunch or a cup of coffee, "My life turned around when Jesus Christ came into it. He has turned on the lights in my life and he can do the same for you." We salty Christians ought to go out and season the earth with the taste of God, make people thirsty for the light of the world that is Jesus Christ, that is you and me. Pass the salt and turn on your light. We have work to do.