5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Mt. 5:13-16)

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.”

Reflection for the Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time 2023

If you have ever heard the words from your doctor, “No more salt for you,” you may have had one of two reactions: “Well, I never use salt, anyway,” or “What? I can’t live without salting my food!” Somewhere between these two extremes is a common response: “Salt just makes food taste so much better.” Most people would agree with that. Somehow it enhances the flavor of an already good meal, and gives meaning to a bowl of popcorn.  Enhancement and meaning: two important words to describe common table salt, which we often take for granted until the day we are told, No more salt.

Jesus uses the image of salt in today’s rather short Gospel (Mt 5:13-16).

“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.” What was He saying to us in the context of living a Christian life?

A well set table in a restaurant has a nice salt and pepper shaker on it. We reach for the salt without thinking. It’s a commodity we take for granted. And yet, when we speak of an extraordinary human being, we say, “She’s the salt of the earth!” and it’s a high compliment.  So what is it about salt that Jesus would use it to describe us, people who are called to holiness and to minister to our brothers and sisters in any way we can?

It sounds as though He expects all of us to be salt.  Quiet, unnoticed, even unappreciated are all part of being the salt of the earth in our small corner of the world.

He asks us to enhance the lives of other people by making a difference in their lives, without seeking recognition. “Just to be is a blessing,” Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said. “Just to live is holy,” if we are living for others without seeking our own benefit. That seems like a good definition of salt.

Jesus asks us to be salt, something for others, and nothing for oneself. At least not to put oneself first; that calls for heroism. The heroism of living every day for Jesus and for others brings its own rewards.

Oh. There’s something else. Jesus says that salt can lose its flavor, and then it’s good only to be trampled underfoot. Whew! That’s quite a commentary. We have to think about ways that we might lose our flavor. What safeguards need to be in place so that we don’t become old salt, flat, no flavor, worthy of only being thrown out and trampled. For each of us, the safeguards will be different. I think a good place to start is by saying something to someone that will build her up—something surprising: telling a flustered waitress in a busy diner, “You’re very good at what you do.” Or a fellow in the coffee shop, “Your children are so well behaved. You must be a great father.”

That’s all it takes. When in doubt, do the kind thing (Daniel Lubetzky). It’s a good way to keep your salt full of flavor, and to light up the life of another journeying soul.

God bless you.