Salt

Jesus said to his disciples: "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." Matthew 5:13

Does salt really lose it's taste? I've never noticed before. I try to recall if it wasn't as tangy, or as salty as it should be. Then I think maybe it goes a bit flat, but not as strong a flavor. Then I thought about how we toss salt away when we spill some.

Next we have blessed salt that is used as a sacramental in the Church. First, in Baptisms: like the baptismal waters, salt is blessed and exorcised. Then it is put on the tongue of the catechumen during the Baptismal rite.

Second, for use in the preparation of Holy Water and for the use of the faithful: regular salt is exorcised and blessed and is used in the preparation of Holy Water. It is also given to the faithful for their everyday use, for use in cooking; for sprinkling around rooms, doorways and yards, to protect against evil, etc.

Because of its exorcism and blessing, it is a powerful sacramental in keeping away demons. To get salt blessed, just take some table salt to your priest and ask him to bless it.

Salt it seems has many purposes, even in the Old Testament we read of it. And we are told by Jesus we are the salt of the earth. But if we lose flavor, we are not as effective. Our zip is gone then, we become dull to the point of lifelessness.

And then we come to the area where we tell ourselves that to live is to have the spice of life. True, we need to be salty in order to fulfill our roles in life. But we also have a version that others prefer to believe, to have a variety is the spice of life, such as; have as many partners as a person can have, to live it up in wicked ways. Not the salt of God that's for sure.

We often over look the healing properties that salt also has. Look at the seas, and oceans, how soothing the waters are, yet we are polluting them with garbage, and slowly destroying life in it.

Salt is everywhere, in everything. We are the salt of the earth, we remove it from our lives we lose.

The text in bold red print is borrowed from Fish Eaters. I apologies for borrowing without mention of the source.