You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is good for nothing anymore but to be cast out and to be trodden on by men. (Matthew 5:13)
Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? (Mark 9:50)
Let your conversation be seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:6)
I am a regular listener to Dr. Taylor Marshall, a former Episcopal priest who converted to the Catholic Church and is now an unwavering voice for traditionalist Catholic faith. At the end of his broadcasts, he references the first of the above verses and admonishes his listeners to "go out and be salty!" He says this to emphasize that we have a mission of evangelization as Catholics, and it's actually sound advice. However, his mentioning that as well as hearing a similar sermon from late Presbyterian minister, Dr. D. James Kennedy, on the same subject got me thinking about what this allegory of "salt" in Scripture is really about? In order to explain it better, let me first delve into a fundamental chemistry lesson about salt to give some perspective.
What we call "salt" is a chemical compound called sodium chloride, and if you look it up on a periodic chart, it is designated by the symbol NaCl. However, sodium chloride is not the only salt, as the chemical definition of a "salt" is chemical compound of cations (positive ions) and anions (negative ions) which produce a electrically neutral substance. This also makes it a type of non-conducive (meaning that it cannot be a conduit for an electrical charge) mineral. Salts can be alkaline (as is sodium chloride) or acidic. Other types of common salts are MSG, the notorious additive in some Chinese takeout food, and ammonia. In the case of sodium chloride, it is composed of a cation (positive) called sodium, and an anion called chlorine, which is a gas. Both of these substances are highly toxic, as sodium is highly corrosive, and chlorine gas will cause respiratory distress that can lead to death. All of these factors lead to the study at hand now.
So, you have two toxic substances - sodium and chlorine gas - that produce something that is actually essential for the human body. And, this is the language that Jesus and the Apostles use in Scripture to describe the attitude of the believer. There is a very important lesson in this as it leads to consideration of how two toxic things can be synthesized to create something beneficial, and here is the lesson. Our human nature is by nature sinful due to the Fall in Genesis 3, and it possesses a trait endemic to the Fall called concupiscence. As natural sodium in its pure state is highly corrosive and toxic, our human nature is likewise corrupted and can corrode our being. Likewise, the law, while it has a good premise, can also be strangling, much in the same way as chlorine is in its pure state - the pure form of chlorine in liquid form we are all familiar with around our homes is something called bleach. If you are around bleach for too long, it can be very rough on the respiratory system, but also there is another problem - chlorine bleach, if mixed with another alkaline substance such as ammonia, can be highly toxic and will kill you, as it gives off noxious fumes - I learned that the hard way many years back when trying to clean a cat litter box with bleach; big mistake there! It took me several hours to recover from exposure to those fumes, which when they reacted actually produced a vapor cloud that was so toxic that one had to leave the area. The Law is like that as well - while it restrains evil, trying to live up to its standards by yourself can be a fatal thing, much like chlorine gas. So, there you have it - a substance that can actually erode flesh, like pure sodium, and a gas that can suffocate a person, like chlorine gas, can be deadly by themselves and are not fit for human consumption in their pure states. But, when a reaction causes them to combine, they produce a substance (sodium chloride, or table salt) that is essential to the human body and its functions. Likewise, something needs to reconcile the Law and our fallen nature, as they cannot be reconciled on their own, and that is why a third element is needed, and that element is supernatural grace, only given through the Person of Christ and His atonement. This is where we are going.
The Incarnation reconciled two things - it perfected human nature and reconciled the Law, and it did so through the impartation of supernatural grace. Christ is the personification of supernatural grace, and He is also the product of reconciliation between divine law and human nature. When we receive Christ as Savior both by confession and via the sacramental life of the Church, He becomes part of us, and we then also become a "salt" that shares that grace through evangelization to others. This is why Dr. Marshall actually is right in admonishing us to "stay salty," and now we will examine briefly the benefits of that "saltiness."
Salt has a number of beneficial uses, and here are a few of them:
1. Preservation - salt prevents decay and spoilage, and food treated with it lasts much longer.
2. Cleansing - Salt is the original disinfectant, as it is used to clean everything from contact lenses (which would be called saline solution) to even use in dishwashing processes - the granular action of salt makes it naturally abrasive, and the chlorine component actually sterilizes.
3. Healing - Salt has therapeutic qualities that are related to both its preservation and cleansing. To "rub salt in a wound" is an aphorism that is based on this principle. Salt will heal a wound naturally, which is why many people soak parts of their body in salt water to disinfect and cleanse cuts, blisters, and other such things and it also comes in handy for gargling in case of upper respiratory infections.
4. Flavor - Salt is used as a seasoning to add and/or enhance the flavor of something. In many cases, salt brings out a flavor that would not otherwise be detected, and thus it aids in the culinary process of the human anatomy. Due to its alkaline properties, salt also makes highly acidic food, such as grapefruit, more palatable too.
5. Hydration - related to healing properties, salt is integral to maintaining water content in our bodies, as its thirst-generating aspect encourages more liquid consumption. This is why people suffering heat stroke will often drink something containing salt-based electrolytes, such as commercial drinks like Gatorade, or (and this one is personally nauseating to me, but it works) the drinking of pickle juice (yecccchhhh!! Give me Gatorade any day!). It aids in rehydration of the body when fluids are at a critical level.
There are other uses for salt too, but as you can see, salt is beneficial in many cases. So, why are we allegorically admonished by Our Lord Himself to be "salt?" It is simple. For one, when society is in a state of moral decay, it needs something to salvage what it can of it and preserve it - our "saltiness" does that. Also, the wounds of societal decay need cleansing and healing, and that is where we also come in as a "salt" allegory. Finally, in an utterly depraved and tasteless world where moral and civil decline make public discourse unpalatable, it is up to us to add the flavor of the Gospel to make it more tolerable to exist in. And, as salt is not always pleasant - it really stings when applied to a wound, and it can also be hard to swallow if you gargle with it - neither is our presence at times. When we deal with a volatile culture at times, we have to sting a little and maybe even our message may be hard for many to swallow, but it is the medicine our fallen world needs. And, we cannot back away from administering it either. As Dr. Kennedy said in the message of his I listened to earlier today, God did not call us to be "sugar to the world," as sugar can mess up a system more than it helps it, and although it tastes better, in the long run over-consumption of it causes health problems; diabetes, tooth decay, obesity, and other ailments. Also, we are not called to be vinegar, meaning we are too dogmatic to the extreme of risking being spit out due to the nastiness and bad will created. Sugar tastes good, and in the moral and spiritual sense, it always sounds good, but in the end it has little benefit if it is consumed heavily. Likewise, vinegar is stinky, nasty, and also putrid - it represents in the spiritual sense the forms of excessive legalism and judgementalism some Christians engage in, and it accomplishes little either. Over-consumption of both vinegar or sugar often has the same result - it will upset the stomach and induce vomiting. Salt, on the other hand, tempers the appetite and provides both balance and enhancement. And, that is who Christ is - the perfect balance, as well as the enhancement of life. Christ is the source of supernatural grace, which as Aquinas defines it is given to perfect, heal, and elevate us in our nature, bringing us closer to what God originally created us to be. Salt both is palatable but it also can sting - try, for instance, eating a salty Utz potato chip when you have a sore tongue or mouth, and you will feel it! But, the sting in this case is good - it means healing is taking place and wounds are also being cleansed. That is what the Gospel does; it seasons us. As living conduits of the Gospel in our lives, we also should provide both flavor and cleansing to our world, and sometimes it can sting those around us as it penetrates the wounds of our society. We should see that as a good thing, as it testifies to the effectiveness of the message.
A lot more can be said on this subject, but simply, we must be more "salty" than "sweet" in our approach to this world. We also must be more "salty" than "sour" too. Therefore, as many of us hear at the end of Mass, we are to go out to provide antiseptic and flavor to a sick world that desperately needs it. And, the times we live in, this is more real than ever. God bless until next time.
