“Have salt in yourselves and maintain peace with each other” – These words of Jesus carry deep significance. In a world where everything, from food to relationships, can lose their flavor, salt is a powerful symbol of preservation, strength, and transformation. Just as salt preserves food and enhances its taste, so too can our actions and words preserve goodness and bring life to the world around us. How can an understanding of the symbolism of salt help us to be salt of the earth today?
The Symbolism and the Role of Salt in Ancient Times
To understand the significance of salt as a biblical term, one needs to take a glance at its role in the ancient times. The scarcity or abundance of salt reserves determined the well-being of a particular city. Because salt stands for permanence and value, it was given as a gift in a marriage ceremony. Because it preserves from decay and corruption, it was used as a means against evil and demons. Newborn children were gently rubbed with salt to prevent evil spirits from coming into contact with them. Strong alliances were sealed with salt.
Salt in the Teachings of Jesus and in the Bible
Clearly, salt was a significant symbol in the teachings of Jesus. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses his disciples as ‘the salt of the earth’ and ‘the light of the world’ (Mt 5:13). The implication is that the Church, though not of this world, must proclaim God’s Kingdom in it. Additionally, the Old Testament contains imagery about salt and its meaning for humans and their relationship with God and one another. For instance, Offerings in the Jerusalem Temple were salted, and water was purified through salt (2 Kg 2: 19-22) and God himself called his covenant with his people a ‘salt covenant’ (Lev 18:19), because it is permanent.
Being Salt in the World
In the letter to the Colossians (4:6), preachers are urged to speak in a manner seasoned with salt. Proclamation is not salted by strong words but by a convincing life, both personally and together. In today’s Gospel, it is peace. Thus, Jesus says: “Have salt in yourselves and maintain peace with each other.” In the Sermon on the Mount, it is the willingness to reconcile, the love of enemies, the inner attitudes, and the way we speak with and about each other. In order to remain salt of the earth, we need to fight against these inclinations within us, and not in others.
We experience tensions in the Church between clergy and the laity, right and left, young and old. Conflict in itself is not an obstacle. Conflicts have always existed. It becomes an obstacle when we believe that we are the only ones with rightful opinions, or when the tone becomes loveless and dehumanizing.
Why Being Salt Matters Today
Suffice it to say that salt symbolizes far more than just a preservative or seasoning. As salt of the earth, we are reminded that our words and actions are to be seasoned. For only in this way can we preserve creation. The struggles we face within us, in the Church, and in the World at large should not discourage us, but rather remind us that it is in the midst of conflict that our faith and commitment to God must shine brightest. Let us take to heart the call to be the salt that preserves, flavors, and strengthens the world around us.
Blessed Salt still used today also comes to mind
What an amazing reflection! I will never be able to look at salt the same way again. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with all of us. God Bless you in all you do.