Dear Preachers:
Salt has gotten a bad rap in recent years. It’s linked to high blood pressure, a life-threatening condition. Doctors suggest those with high blood pressure reduce their intake of salt. With the increased consumption of prepared foods and snacks, nutritionists warn all of us that we consume too much salt and that we should cut down on our intake–especially as we age. So, for us moderns, it doesn’t sound like a compliment, or an encouraging word, when Jesus calls his disciples “the salt of the earth.”
No one eats salt plain, by itself. Still, even these days, with all the cautions we hear, most people prefer a little salt in their food. I was speaking with a friend who is a nurse and has high blood pressure. She said, with a mischievous wink of our eye, “I’m not supposed to eat salt, but I still put a tiny bit on my food. It enhances the flavor.”
But those disciples didn’t have to worry about over consuming potato chips and frozen dinners. Their experience with salt was entirely different from ours. Salt was a luxury item and was used as a preservative for foods. It was also a sign of friendship and community, and so people shared salt at banquets to express their bonds of family and friendship.
In the Hebrew Scriptures it was a symbol of permanence and purification. Salt symbolized the people’s relationship with God, which Numbers (18:19) described as an “inviolable covenant to last forever before the Lord, for you and for your descendants.” That “inviolable covenant” was described as a “covenant made in salt” (2 Chronicles 13:5). Thus, when Jesus called his disciples “the salt of the earth” that title would resonate deeply in their daily experience and religious heritage. He was suggesting first of all, that they were friends of his and were in a permanent and stable relationship with God.
Early Christians took up the image of salt and connected it to baptism and their covenant with God. Because of this covenant they were protected and preserved from evil. The world could corrupt Christians, but baptism and the gospel would preserve and keep them in their relationship to Jesus and one another. They, like their Jewish ancestors, were in a “covenant of salt.”
Until most recently, salt was still used in baptismal liturgies. It was placed on the tongue of the one being baptized. (Salt is often sprinkled in water to be blessed.) We bless ourselves with that water as a reminder of our baptism and its healing and preserving qualities for our faith. Those baptismal waters continue to preserve us from evil, for God has not broken the new “covenant of salt” we have in Jesus. Through the ongoing life of the Holy Spirit in each of the baptized, we are able to fulfill our calling to be “salt of the earth.”
We Christians are in a “salt covenant” with each other. We may not be the best of friends. We may not invite each other over for a special occasion or dinner in our homes on the holidays. Nevertheless, we are covenanted to one another through our baptism. In Christ we are also in a lasting communion with God, empowered and nursed by the Holy Spirit. We are in a “covenant of salt.”
Today’s gospel reminds us that we are called into the service of Jesus Christ. He is not only calling us the “salt of the earth,” he is telling us to be that salt of the earth. It’s an awesome responsibility Jesus entrusts to us. We are to be witnesses who point the way to Jesus. We may feel as small and insignificant as salt, such a tiny ingredient, but like salt we are to mix in, not avoid, life in the world. Like salt, we may not call attention to ourselves, nevertheless people will recognize the flavor we bring into the world–it is the quiet, but effective presence of Christ–the one with whom we have a lasting covenant of salt.
But sometimes Jesus’ disciples are not supposed to be just a quiet presence in everyday life. Some circumstances require that we make more of an impact on our surroundings. Or, as the second part of today’s gospel reminds us, we are to be “the light of the world.” In a large, dark gymnasium or arena, one match ignited on the court can be seen by even someone up in the last, upper row of the stands. In the dark, no one can miss the light. We are to be Christ’s light in a dark world.
Jesus wasn’t saying anything new for religious Jews. The prophet Isaiah gives some examples how believers can be light in the world. “Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless, clothe the naked when you see them… etc.” Jesus takes up that message later in a parable in which he identifies himself with the neediest, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty, etc.”
Today Paul advises us that human wisdom, on its own, will not provide light for our world. There are lots of flash and bright lights that lure us from all sides, but do not truly illumine our lives the way the light of Christ, displayed throughout his life and on the cross, can.
Of course a city built on a hill cannot be hidden. We didn’t need Jesus to tell us the obvious. But for a Jewish audience that image of the city on a hill would remind them of Jerusalem–not just the physical city, but all it meant to the Jews–a sign of God’s righteousness and presence in their midst. The ideal Jerusalem was to be a place where things were done right, according to God’s light. It was to be a city of the people of God.
The prophets had anticipated that this ideal and perfect Jerusalem would attract all the nations and God would teach and protect them. The prophet Micah proclaimed:
“Many nations shall come and say,
‘Let us climb the mountain of the Lord,…
That God may instruct us in God’s ways, that we may walk in God’s paths.
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”‘ (Micah 4:2)
We, the church, are supposed to be that kind of city set on a mountain. We are called to be the community that draws people of all nations to Christ. The good we do in the world should identify us–a city on a mountain–for all to see.
Well, we are set on a mountain and the scandals of these recent years, at all levels of our church, have not drawn, but turned some people away. Our identity as light has been darkened; and as salt, we have lost our flavor for many. Therefore, as a response to Jesus’ teaching and call today we pray, not only for ourselves, but for our church. We pray for a cleansing, renewing influx of the light only the Spirit can give. “Help us, O Spirit of light, to be faithful servants in the world, lights in the darkness and salt to flavor the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
SALT AND LIGHT
If Jesus’ disciples want to live up to the Beatitudes, their life will have to adopt a social projection. That is what Jesus tells them by using those two unforgettable metaphors. Even though they will appear to be an insignificant group in comparison with the mighty Roman Empire, they will become “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.”
Isn’t that a ridiculous claim? Jesus tells them how that will become possible. The salt is nothing precious by itself but it produces good results when it is mixed with food and becomes invisible. That is the case with light when it is switched on: it is seen only when it is present in the dark.
Jesus is not planning a Church that is separated from the world, hidden behind its rites and doctrines, closed on itself and its problems. Jesus wants to bring into human history bunch of followers who are capable of transforming life by practicing the Beatitudes.
We all know the various uses of salt. First of all, it preserves various foods from going bad or rotting. Further, it gives taste and makes us enjoy them better. Foods are useful, but they can turn bad; meals are tasty, but they can become insipid. Salt is always needed to prepare and preserve food.
The world is not bad, but we can make it go bad. Life is enjoyable, but we can make it look boring and unattractive. A Church that practices the Beatitudes will contribute to the preservation of a more humane society. The disciples of Jesus who keep his commandments will help to discover the real meaning of life.
There is a problem, however, and Jesus warns his disciples about it. If the salt turns insipid, then it is of no use at all. If his disciples lose their evangelical identity, they will no longer produce the results expected by Jesus. Christianity will lose its value. The Church will go unnoticed. Christians will be of no help to the world.
The same thing happens with the light. We all know that light helps us to see things better. Jesus’ disciples can throw light on the meaning of light if people see in them “the works” of the Beatitudes. Hence, they should not be hidden. On the other hand, they should not do things just to be seen. Their lives should be an inspiration for the rest of society to see the real face of our Father in heaven.
We must not use the Church to satisfy our own likes and preferences. Jesus wants the Church to be the salt and the light of the world. Evangelizing does not mean fighting against modern society or worldly strategies. Still worse, the Church should not stand as being simply “unworldly” or “unsociable”. The Church must reflect the Gospel in all its original life, handed down to us by Jesus.
Salt of the Earth
Our society is sick. Television is said to reflect the desires of our people since it is based on the popularity of programs and the sales of advertising. So TV grows in sex and fiction and violence. The philosophy of materialism gets worse all the time. They are just giving the audience what it wants. The rest are free NOT to watch it, so they say.
When most Christians admit that society is sick and growing sicker and that materialism is getting worse all the time, they at the same time, excuse themselves, saying, “but I have not done anything.” Yes, we moan the degeneration of society but most of us do little or nothing to stop the decline. “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.” Many of us Christians are too selfish.
Even in our prayers we pray only for ourselves and the loved ones. A selfish Christian is a contradiction in terms. Our apathy is appalling. Many Christians are like turtles. They hide withdrawn into their shells and will not come out. Saints, on the other hand, would often give up their life in the desert to go to the city and preach and reach out to people. Mother Teresa left the safety of convent life for the streets of Calcutta and later became the light and salt of the world and the “Joy of Calcutta”.
Today’s readings can be summed up in a series of “If…then’s”. Our lives are full with those “if then”. I’ll swear if you ever do this again then I’ll ground you for the next ten years.” hollered one parent. “If you’re late to school one more time then you are going to get punished,” says the teacher. “If you miss one more payment then I’m going to have to ask you to vacate your apartment,” said a landlord. Jesus tells us: “If you are the Light of the world… then you must be seen by others and they will be attracted to the Light.”
Concern for the poor is a major biblical theme and Jesus makes it his own dominant message. Most of his parables, sermons and confrontations with the Pharisees and even the apostles were aimed at showing that “the hungry come before the Sabbath”, “widows before the sanctimonious Pharisees”, and “neighbor before yourself”. Let your “light” shine before men, and your deeds reveal your faith.
In Scandinavian folklore, there is a story of a country doctor who one night went to a farmhouse where a woman was about to give birth. As the woman labored, the doctor asked her husband to assist him by holding a gas lantern up high in order to illuminate the makeshift delivery room.
Before long, the courageous mother delivered a wonderful healthy boy. Then the doctor made a surprise announcement; a second child was due to arrive. Whereupon the mother brought forth a wonderful, healthy baby girl. The husband was considerably shaken by the unexpected birth of twins. You can imagine, therefore, his complete astonishment when he heard the doctor say, “We’re not finished yet. It looks like it’s going to be triplets.” To which the stunned father, still holding the lantern aloft, replied, “It must be the light that’s attracting them!”
Most people are attracted by the light, most plants and flowers are attracted and given life by the sun. Most “cooked meals” are made tasty by salt – even if it is only a pinch of salt.
The story is told of a man who asked the question, “What is the Devil?” Before anyone could reply, the man supplied his own answer. “The devil,” he said, “is not a huge monster with horns and a harpoon tail and a wicked glitter in his eye. No, the devil is inertia, doing nothing, following the lines of the least resistance.” Let your light shine for others to see.