You are the salt of the earth
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February 4, 2023You are the salt of the earth!
In the ancient world, salt was highly valued. The Greeks called salt divine, and the Romans said, “There is nothing more useful than sun and salt.” The English word “salary” literally means “salt money.” In the time of Jesus, salt was connected in people’s minds with three special qualities.
Purity. Salt was connected with purity because it was white and it came from the purest of all things, the sun and the sea. Salt was the most primitive of all offerings to the gods. Jewish sacrifices were offered with salt. The Orientals made their oaths with salt to ratify them. They believed that it was the salt that kept the seas pure. Therefore, as “salt of the earth,” we, Christians, must be examples of purity. We exercise absolute purity in speech, in conduct, and even in thought so that we may purify the world.
Preservative. Salt was the commonest of all preservatives in the ancient world when people did not have fridges and freezers. It was used to prevent the putrefaction of meat, fish, fruits, and pickles. As salt of the earth, we, Christians, must have a certain antiseptic influence on the life of the society by defeating corruption and making it easier for others to be good. We are to be a preserving influence to retard moral and spiritual spoilage in the world. Pope St. John Paul II, in his message to the youth on the occasion of the 2022 World Youth Day, said: “As the salt of the earth, you are called to preserve the Faith which you have received and to pass it on intact to others. Your generation is being challenged in a special way to keep safe the deposit of Faith.”
Flavor. Salt lends flavor to food items. One of the main functions of salt is to season food and to give it taste and flavor. In a worried and depressed world, we, Christians, should be the ones who remain full of the joy of life and conveying it to others. It is our duty to make the world palatable (bearable), not just to others but also to God so that He can, so to speak, continue to bear with it, in spite of its “distasteful” wickedness. To be the salt of society also means that we are deeply concerned with its well-being. We have to preserve the cultural values and moral principles Jesus has given us, and in this way, make a contribution to the development of cultural and social life. Thus, we will be adding flavor to the common life.
As we begin our campaign for the 2023 Diocesan Development Fund, please take the time to consider that by your active and generous support, you are exercising your call to be the salt of the earth. What we shall be raising together will support Catholic Charities, Seminarian Education Fund, Ongoing Education for Priests, Priests Relief Fund, Hospital Chaplains, Youth and Campus Ministry and Land Development for Future Churches. Through the DDF, let us all together restore the world’s purity, preserve our moral values, and give good flavor to the lives of others, especially those who are most need of it. God blesses those who bless others. Amen.
