Salt and other Musings

In the baptismal rite prior to Vatican II salt would be blessed and the priest would place a small amount in the mouth of the child, calling the child by name and saying in part: … receive the salt of wisdom….look with favour on Your servant….who has had …first taste of blessed food in the form of salt.

Salt is a necessary element…too little and we become ill. Thus things like salt pills or sodium in drinks for athletes and others who loose salt through sweating.

Too much salt in our diet and this excess causes health problems as well.

In some parts of the world salt is mixed with sand to keep winter roads driveable, while Ghandi’s handful of salt is legendary.

The  blessing and mixing salt with the water for the blessing of the people, and how the Lord blessed the scattering of salt upon the water by the Prophet Elisha, is beautiful baptismal reminder at the beginning of Sunday Mass.

Fr. John Hampsch has a wonderful teaching on Blessed Salt at http://claretiantapeministry.org/teachings/SALT .

Very simply here “salt” is part of the title for this blog as a prayer for the Holy Spirit’s blessing of wisdom in what is presented here { anything unwise, contrary to the mind and heart of the Church or just dumb is totally on me } and because Jesus tells His disciples that we “ are the salt of the earth.” [Mt.5:13]

Salt gives flavour and salt is a preservative – as disciples of Jesus,  it is our vocation to bring the flavour of hope, into broken lives; to preserve respect for life in the midst of the culture of death.

The opportunities and urgencies for us to “be” blessed salt in the world are countless.

Here I would recommend a prayerful reading of Pope John Paul’s homily during the closing Mass of World Youth Day in Toronto, available on the  Vatican web site.

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Been musing on a couple of other things today as I walked past the huge neighbourhood cemetery, along the railroad yards, alternately praying the Rosary and recalling bits from the various letters and emails waiting to be answered.

The first thing I mused about was fear as many of the priests and lay people writing me of late express fear about the state of the world; fear of another 9/11; fear of things like bird flu.

That sent me to Pope John Paul’s book: Crossing The Threshold of Hope to refresh my heart with his powerful urging we not be afraid.

I also returned to John 6:16-21 for there, in the midst of the marvellous chapter where Jesus first reveals He will be our Bread of Life, is the event of the storm and it is before the storm has ceased and the boat has reached its destination, indeed more precisely it is during that which causes the disciples to be fearful that Jesus comes through the storm saying: “ It is I.  Do not be afraid.”

This evening then I mused with anticipation at the approach of Advent, the season of hope!

And I remembered the taste in the air growing up on the shores of the Atlantic ocean: salt!