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February 8, 2026
"You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?” (Matthew 5:13) Jesus’statement is very deep and profound. He is calling Christians the salt of the earth.
We hear Jesus speak these words inthis week’s Gospel to the crowds while He is giving His Sermon on the Mount. Last week, Jesus began His Sermon onthe Mount by proclaiming the Beatitudes, those blessings that come from following God’s law and commandments.Now, Jesus uses the images of salt and light to describe the role His followers play in the midst of the world.
Have we ever stopped to think and ponder on what Jesus meant when he spoke these words to His disciples? Whydid He choose these particular images in describing the role of a disciple? If you think of the characteristics of salt,especially in the ancient world, it was used as a preservative. Also, it brings out the flavor in food, and its taste is verydistinctive. Salt is also used for the healing of wounds.
Following these different characteristics and uses for salt, a disciple of Christ is meant to preserve and promote themorality of a society. As salt prevents decay within food, similarly, a Christian’s role is meant to purify and support thesociety in which they live by promoting the dignity of every human person. Salt is never used by itself, but it enhancesand brings out the flavors in food. It is not the main course. Similarly, the life of a Christian is never meant to be themain focus. Rather, the life of a disciple of Christ is meant to always point towards Christ and to be a gift of love throughservice. In addition, being "salt" means having a distinct, active influence on one's environment rather than conformingto it. Christian disciples are meant to be in the world but not of the world.
Jesus warns that if salt loses its taste, it becomes useless and is trampled. This indicates that if Christianscompromise their faith or fail to stand up for righteousness, they lose that important ability to transform the world aroundthem. If salt becomes too diluted and mixed with other compounds, it loses its effectiveness. As Christians, we arecalled not to allow ourselves to become diluted with worldly values and lose our heavenly focus. We are not toexchange our God given mission and inheritance for an earthly kingdom and passing fame. We are called to continue tokeep the flame of faith given to us in Baptism alight. Through acts of charity, kindness and love, our distinctive Christiancharacter is preserved. Through courageously practicing our faith, we stand out in the midst of a world divided by hatredand strife.
To preserve our Christian dignity means staying close to the source of that dignity. It means staying close to theSacred Heart of Jesus through the Sacraments and daily prayer. It means living out our daily life in a way that focuseson our ultimate goal of gaining eternal Salvation and being close to Jesus. Through increased attentiveness and a desireto live in the presence of Christ, may we not miss our God given purpose and seek, through the help of the Holy Spirit,to be salt and a light in the world. Through our witness may others come to know Christ and be transformed by His Love.
Father John