10th Week in Ordinary Time 2025 - Tuesday - Holy Saltiness

 

Well, after 40 days of Lent, and Holy Week, and the Paschal Triduum, and 50 days of easter, almost exactly 25% of the liturgical year, we’ve returned once again to Ordinary Time.

The green of Ordinary time reminds us of the growth for which we are to strive, the growth in holiness, and virtue, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Green is also the color associated with the theological virtue of hope. We hope that what we do in the ordinary course of the Christian life will lead to heaven.

Our Gospel readings during Ordinary Time focus mostly on the teachings and works of Jesus throughout the course of his public ministry, from after his baptism in the Jordan before he reaches Jerusalem.

Ordinary Time is like a slow pilgrimage, during which we are pondering each day, with each step, the truths of our Lord, and how to incorporate them into the concrete details of our life.

Today Jesus teaches that his followers are to be the salt of the earth. In the ancient world, salt had a number of uses. So, too, Christians have a number of jobs.

The first job for salt most of us think of is seasoning. Salt makes food tasty. So, too, Christians are to be a sort of seasoning to an otherwise bland world.  There is nothing more interesting, no one more full of life, than a Christian saint filled with the life of Christ—something each of us are to aspire to.

Salt is also a Preservative: In the days before refrigeration, salt made preserving food possible for times of famine. Christians have the job of preserving what is good and holy in creation, and fighting off spiritual decay.

Salt is also a Purifier: most water purification systems use salt as a "purifier." Christians are to be the world’s purifiers: opposing the corrupting powers of malice and perversion and greed, purifying the mind and heart of society by preaching the word and calling to conversion.

Salt is used to melt ice. Christians are called to melt the coldness of the icy hearts of the world, particularly through our charity. There is nothing more heartwarming than when we act in selfless Christian charity.

Finally, salt is used to prevent people from slipping on slippery paths.  Christians are called to help souls from slipping into damnation—again by preaching the Gospel, instructing the ignorant, and correcting the sinner.

During this Ordinary Time, consider how you are called in the concrete details of your life to add some holy saltiness—purification, sanctity, warmth, and stability—to the people and relationships around you for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

As we journey through Ordinary Time, trusting in the Lord’s grace at work in our daily lives, let us offer our prayers for the Church and for the world:

For the holy Church of God: That through her preaching, teaching, and sacramental life, she may bring the seasoning of joy, the warmth of charity, and the light of hope to a world grown cold with indifference.

For all who are called to positions of leadership and influence: That they may uphold what is true and just, and help preserve what is good in society.

For our parish community: That we may grow each day in holiness and virtue, becoming instruments of God’s grace in our families, our workplaces, and our neighborhoods.

For the sick, the poor, those who struggle with spiritual dryness or despair, and those in need: that God’s grace may bring healing to their wounds and warmth to their hearts.

For the faithful departed: That, having followed Christ in this life, they may now rejoice in the eternal banquet of heaven.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2023 - Salt of the earth

 I remember as a kid, my dad telling stories about working in the salt mines under Lake Erie when he was a younger man.  Morton Salt has about 3 miles of salt mines 2000 feet underneath our great lake.  This salt is an important source of revenue for the State of Ohio, and the salt is utilized in a number of ways: particularly as a seasoning for our food and on our roads during the winter.

Immediately following the Lord’s teaching on the beatitudes, which we heard last Sunday. The Lord says that his disciples must be salt. Talk about bringing us down to earth. In order to attain heaven, you must become salt. 

Salt was used in a number of ways in Jesus’ time, just as it does for us. 

First salt is used as a seasoning. So, too, Christians are to be a sort of seasoning to an otherwise bland world.  There is nothing more interesting—no one more full of life than a true Christian saint filled with the life of Christ. 

This week we celebrated Catholic Schools week, and daily over in the school, the students learned about some of the patron saints of Christian Education, saints like Thomas Aquinas, John Neuman, Angela Merici, Elizabeth Ann Seton, holy men and women who bristled with energy and joy and charity. The saltiness of the saints has changed human history. So become salty—using your unique gifts and talents to serve the Lord.

How else is salt used? Salt is necessary for life. Even the most stringent nutritionists have to admit that salt is a necessary component of the human diet. The ancients, too, understood, salt was necessary for good health.  Similarly, Christians need to be salt in this way. The health, the survival of a society depends on Christians—doing what Christians do, infusing societal life with the life and goodness and truth and beauty of God. Our mission isn’t just to come to Church, our mission is to infuse this neighborhood with the saltiness of Christ for its own survival. Salt helps regulate a body’s heart rate, digestion, respiration, brain activity, and blood pressure—and without Christians living out the mission in a particular area, the society’s ability to pump blood, think, breath, digest will soon fail.

Salt is also a Preservative: In the days before refrigeration, salt made preserving food possible for times of famine. Christians will have the job of preserving what is good and holy in creation, opposing spiritual decay. Seeing many of the strong Christian values in our country begin to fade, Christians need to take up again this call to preserve. Christians must preserve the nation, marriage, family, the young from spiritual rot. 

Salt is also a Purifier: The salt in the oceans of the world act as a natural cleaning agent, and most water purification systems use salt as a "purifier." Christians are to be the world’s purifiers: opposing the corrupting powers of malice and perversion and greed. Each of us too need to seek the constant purifying of our minds from the world’s corrupting influence. We purify our minds through study of God’s word, interiorizing the doctrines of our faith, the example of the saints.

Salt also has a destructive power.  As a kid, I’d run to the kitchen to get a salt shaker when I found a slug in the garden…a little morbid, yes…you surprised?  In the ancient world, when an army would conquer their enemy, they’d knock down the walls, raise the city to the ground, then really to rub it in sometimes they would cast salt upon the earth so that nothing would ever grow there again. Are Christians to be a destructive power in society? In a sense we are! We are to be a force against the powers of evil, the manifestations of the Antichrist.

You see, the antichrist is like that slug, and he is powerless when Christians really get salty. So all the ways in which human life is violated and discounted, all forms of hatred and violence, we are meant to interrupt them and get in their way.

Another use for salt: as we know all too well, living here in Cleveland, Salt is used for the melting of ice. Salt makes things flow that are frozen.   The Church’s task is to loosen up a world frozen in its own self-regard, frozen in violent and perverted ways.  When we are faithful to Christ, we have a melting influence.   Think of the power of one saint, how he can melt hearts that have been frozen against Christ. Many souls have been converted to Christ because they saw Christians selflessly engaged in acts of charity. When the Church is faithful, we can have that melting influence in a neighborhood or state or country to get things flowing in the right direction again.

Finally, just like it’s used on our roads, in ancient times salt was also used to prevent people from slipping on slippery paths.  Christians are called to help souls from slipping into damnation—promoting the teachings of Christ on a societal level which give stability to civilization, pointing out when fellow Christians begin down slippery paths away from God. We call them fallen Catholics because they have slipped. 

You and I are called to be salt. But the Lord warns that salt can lose its flavor. Perhaps maybe you have lost a bit of enthusiasm for the Christian life. Perhaps Christ is not the vital force in your marriage, that he should be, or the reason you get up in the morning. Maybe you don’t feel like you are having a positive influence on your neighbors, or the fallen away members of your family.  

The solution: Pray, pray, pray.  You cannot be salt without constant prayer.  A priest who does not pray is worthless, husbands and wives who do not pray will not have the strength and power to faithfully live out the Christian responsibilities of the marriage sacrament.  Young people who do not pray will not have the strength to withstand the nearly unending torrent of evil from our culture.  

Salt: an ordinary substance with tremendous potential, many uses, vital to life and civilization. We must become salt by bringing Christ into our workplaces, into our conversations, into our civic life, in our family life. Be salt, my friends, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

10th Week of Ordinary Time 2021 - Tuesday - Salt and Light

 We continue today to read sequentially through the Lord’s great sermon on the mount—today’s passage immediately following the Beatitudes. 

Practicing the beatitudes enables disciples of the Lord to be “Salt of the earth” and “light of the world”. Jesus’ disciples aren’t going to be sitting around in contended beatitude while on this earth. We are given work to do, we’re given a new purpose. 

In the ancient world, salt had a number of uses. So, too, Christians are to have a number of jobs.

First salt is used as a seasoning. So, too, Christians are to be a sort of seasoning to an otherwise bland world.  There is nothing more interesting, no one more full of life than a true Christian saint filled with the life of Christ. Something each of us are to aspire to.

Salt is also a Preservative: In the days before refrigeration, salt made preserving food possible for times of famine. Christians will have the job of preserving what is good and holy in creation, opposing spiritual decay. Salt is also needed for life. You cannot survive without some salt. Similarly, Christians need to be salt in this way. The health of a society can be measured by its Christians living faithfully according to the precepts of our faith.

Salt is also a Purifier: The salt in the oceans of the world that act as a natural cleaning agent, and most water purification systems use salt as a "purifier." Christians are to be the world’s purifiers: opposing the corrupting powers of malice and perversion and greed, purifying the mind and heart of society by preaching the word and calling to conversion.

Finally, just like it’s used on our roads, in ancient times salt was also used to prevent people from slipping on slippery paths.  Christians are called to help souls from slipping into damnation—promoting the teachings of Jesus which give stability to civilization.

Christians are also called to be the light of the world, we are to be out in the world, shining with good deeds, so that the nations might trace our good deeds back to our God who inspires them. 

What a wonderful vocation: to be salt and light. But the Lord, in this passage also gives his first warnings. Salt can lose its flavor, light can be hidden under a bushel. Christians must not allow these things to happen. You must chose to be faithful to your vocation every day. Living the beatitudes is a choice, being the salt you are called to be, and the light you are called to be requires an intentional decision: study, prayer, effort, courage, and patience.

May our Christian saltiness, our brightness, and the beatitude of the Lord increase in us today and all days, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - -  

For the whole Christian people, that the beatitudes of Christ may animate our lives. Let us pray to the Lord. 

For our President and all elected government representatives, may the Holy Spirit grant them wisdom and guide them to promote authentic and lasting peace in the world, an end to terrorism, respect for religious freedom, and a greater reverence for the sanctity of Human Life. Let us pray to the Lord.

For blessings upon the priests of the diocese who begin new assignments today: may their ministry be blessed with the goodness, truth, and beauty of the Lord. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our young people beginning summer vacation, that they may be kept close to the truth and heart of Jesus, that young people may live in faith-filled homes where the Gospel is cherished, studied, and lived-out. Let us pray to the lord.

For all of the sick and suffering, for the grace to unite their sufferings with Christ and to know His consolation and peace.

For our departed loved ones and all of the souls in purgatory, and for N. for whom this Mass is offered. We pray to the Lord.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

Homily: 5th Sunday in OT 2017 - Salt of the Earth

I remember as a kid, my dad telling stories about working in the salt mines under Lake Erie when he was a younger man.  Morton Salt has about 3 miles of salt mines 2000 feet underneath our great lake.  This salt is an important source of revenue for the State of Ohio, and the salt is utilized in a number of ways: particularly as a seasoning for our food, and on our roads during the winter.

Jesus uses the metaphor of salt to teach his followers the Gospel. He says to his followers, you are salt of the earth. Salt, for Jesus’ listeners, must have evoked a number of images, just like it does for us.
Of course, salt is a seasoning. It adds flavor to an otherwise bland dish.  It’s not an entrée in itself; you aren’t going to sit down to a nice bowl full of delicious salt for breakfast.  Christians are to be a sort of seasoning to an otherwise bland world.

Christians, fully alive with the life of Christ, are anything but bland. This week we celebrated Catholic Schools week, and daily over in the school, the students learned about some of the patron saints of Christian Education, saints like Thomas Aquinas, John Neuman, Angela Merici, Elizabeth Ann Seton, holy men and women who bristled with energy and joy and charity. Their saltiness has changed human history, has changed the way the faith is passed on to the young generations.
Not only do we look to them in great gratitude, but for inspiration for developing our own brand of Christian saltiness on our own lives. For each of us are called to be saints, to heroic virtue and selfless service.

How else is salt used? Salt is necessary for life. Even the most stringent nutritionists have to admit that salt is a necessary component of the human diet. The ancients, too, understood, salt was necessary for good health.  Similarly, Christians need to be salt in this way. The health of the church in a particular area can be measured by whether or not its Christians are living according to the precepts of our faith.

Salt is also a Preservative: In the days before refrigeration, salt made preserving food possible for times of famine. Christians need to be a preservative in our culture, to preserve what is good and holy in creation against the spiritual corruption of worldly vices. Seeing many of the strong Christian values in our country begin to fade, Christians need to take up again this call to preserve. Christians must preserve the nation, marriage, family, the young from spiritual rot.

Salt is also a Purifier: The salt in the oceans of the world act as a natural cleaning agent, and most water purification systems use salt as a "purifier." Christians are to be the world’s purifiers: opposing the corrupting powers of malice and perversion and greed. Each of us too need to seek the constant purifying of our minds from the world’s corrupting influence. We purify our minds through study of God’s word, interiorizing the doctrines of our faith, the example of the saints.

Salt also has a destructive power.  As a kid, I’d run to the kitchen to get a salt shaker when I found a slug in the garden…a little morbid, yes.  In the ancient world, when an army would conquer their enemy, they’d knock down the walls, raise the city to the ground, then really to rub it in sometimes they would cast salt upon the earth so that nothing would ever grow there again. Are Christians to be a destructive power in society? In a sense we are! We are to be a force against all manifestations of sin, all the ways in which human life is violated and discounted, all forms of hatred and violence, we are meant to interrupt them and get in their way.

Finally, as we know all too well, living here in Cleveland, Salt is used for the melting of ice. Salt makes things flow that are frozen.   The Church’s task is to loosen up a world frozen in its own self-regard, frozen in violent and perverted ways.  We have this melting influence, when we are faithful to Christ.  Think of the power of one saint, how he can melt hearts that have been frozen against Christ. Many souls have been converted to Christ because they saw holy people selflessly engaged in the acts of charity. Just like it’s used on our roads, in ancient times salt was also used to prevent people from slipping on slippery paths.  Christians are called to help souls from slipping into damnation—promoting the teachings of Jesus on marriage, family, and morality, which give stability to civilization.

We look to our culture and see a lot of problems.  But when the Church is faithful, we can have that melting influence in a neighborhood or state or country to get things flowing in the right direction again.

You and I are called to be salt. But the Lord warns that salt can lose its flavor. Perhaps maybe you have lost a bit of enthusiasm for the Christian life, or your marriage has gone a little bland. Maybe you don’t feel like you are having a positive influence on your neighbors, or the fallen away members of your family.

The solution: Pray, pray, pray.  Only when we are united to Christ in a vibrant prayer life can we hope to bring his light and goodness and beauty into the world.  You cannot be salt without constant prayer.  A priest who does not pray is worthless, a bishop who does not pray is worthless, husbands and wives who do not pray will not have the strength and power to faithfully live out the Christian responsibilities of the marriage sacrament.  Young people who do not pray will not have the strength to withstand the nearly unending torrent of evil from our culture.

Salt: an ordinary substance with tremendous potential, many uses, vital to life and civilization. We must become salt by bringing Christ into our workplaces, into our conversations, into our civic life, in our family life. Be salt, my friends, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.