Have you ever seen a salt shaker at a restaurant or church basement that doesn’t just have salt in the shaker? Sometimes in addition to salt, people put white rice inside the salt shaker. Why? I’ve been told it soaks up moisture and keeps the salt from clumping. Who knew?
But I wondered if it ever happens that all the salt comes out of the shaker and all is left is rice. Does someone ever sit down at chicken dinner at Our Lady of Perpetual Church Dinners and goes to season their mashed potatoes, only to find a rice shaker instead of salt. Would be able to do it’s job?
This is exactly what Jesus is talking about when he says in this Sunday’s gospel, “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Because, if you think about it, salt can’t loose it’s flavor. If a white granular substance doesn’t taste like salt, it isn’t salt. If it’s not salt, then it isn’t any good for seasoning or persevering food.
In the same way, Jesus warns his disciples to be authentic believers. If they go and try to season and preserve the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ, but they themselves don’t believe or practice it, well, they won’t be very effective. If we try to pass an authentic Catholic faith onto our children, but we don’t really practice or believe, will it work?
Jesus’ message is two fold in the gospel. First, be real. Really seek to grow your prayer practice, be close to God. Secondly, as that faith is grown, don’t hide it. Let it light the world.
LIVE IT:
It’s been said that if you want to change a behavior, two actions are essential. 1) Measure it. 2) Do it for 21 days straight.
So if you want to improve your lived relationship with Jesus, make a plan to pray consistently at the same time and in the same way for 21 days straight and find a way to measure it. A simple journal entry, to do list item, calendar item could help.
HNOJ Good Word 