Reflection on the Gospel – Tuesday, June 10, 2025

It’s interesting that Jesus tells us we are—or should be—the salt of the earth. I say that because these days, doctors are constantly telling us to cut salt out of our diets. They say it’s bad for the heart. But the truth is, eating food without any salt can be really boring. Everything ends up tasting the same. Salt brings out the flavor in each food—it makes a difference.

So, yes, maybe we should listen to the doctors and cut down on salt to protect our hearts and arteries. But that doesn’t mean our lives have to become bland, tasteless, or boring. What Jesus is asking of us is to bring the salt of the Kingdom into our lives and relationships. It’s a different kind of salt—one that helps us see the world in a new way. You could say, from God’s point of view.

With the salt of the Gospel, we start to see that beyond all the things that divide us—borders, ideologies, gender, religion, and all the other ways we separate and exclude one another—there is something that brings us together: we are all sons and daughters of God, and brothers and sisters to each other. With the salt of the Kingdom, we’ll understand that fighting for justice and fraternity is worth it, because it helps us recognize the injustice and intolerance that keep us from living as God’s children and as true brothers and sisters.

The real problem comes when the salt loses its flavor. In other words, when we call ourselves Christians but only use that identity as a sort of safety net to feel secure and at peace. Sometimes we go to Mass and pray so regularly that we forget following Jesus has real consequences for the rest of our life—when we’re not praying or at church. The Gospel and the Kingdom are meant to shape how we live at home, how we treat our friends, how we engage in politics, and how we serve the poor and the vulnerable—all with a deep commitment to justice and brotherhood. That’s the kind of salt we’re called to bring into our world.