[1]Question
of the Day: Is there a food item that has no expiration date? Answer: Na! This
may be one of those jokes that require too much work. Someone would have to see
the answer written out, and then, one would also have to know the symbol for
sodium, in the periodic table, is “Na.” Having said all that, the idea of salt’s
expiration date or “shelf
life” does relate to today’s Gospel. Once Jesus had the
people’s attention with that “flavorless salt” line, he hammered home
his point.
Jesus
certainly knew of the properties of salt, including the fact, that it doesn’t “go bad.”
So, part of his teaching strategy was apparently to shock his listeners. Everyone
in the crowd, before Jesus, would be familiar with the distinctive taste salt adds
to any meal and it’s unimaginable that salt could lose its flavor. Jesus is making
the point that it should be just as unimaginable his disciples would lose their
commitment to God’s kingdom that brings so much good to the world.
Paul,
too, reassures the Corinthians, that the Gospel they have heard from Silvanus,
Timothy, and himself does not change, even if Paul’s travel schedule changes. As God is faithful, as the
Son of God, Jesus Christ proclaimed is faithful, so Paul is faithful in his
service to God. (2Cor 1:19-20)
The many facets of God’s promise of salvation are absolutely trustworthy.
Paul
affirms all of this as strongly as he can by saying that God has anointed the Corinthian Christians and has
put the divine seal on them. What they say through
the Holy Spirit is a first installment in what God will bring to completion.
Today
we describe a food item’s “shelf life” as
basically how long it can sit on the shelf before it goes bad. It answers the
question, “How long
can I keep it on the shelf and still be able to use it?”
Now, if we apply this concept to Christian discipleship, especially in light of
the return to church rate, that, by the way, existed well before the COVID
crisis, what would you say is its “shelf life”? Answer: Extremely
short.[2]
If
we were to consider Baptism as our first installment of
the Holy Spirit, and as we receive other sacrament as well as each time we
participate in the Eucharistic mystery are further installments. Then in fact,
Jesus is telling us, if our witness to the Gospel is sitting on a shelf, or
remains self-contained to ourselves, it is pretty much useless.
May our witness to the Gospel awaken the first installment of the Spirit in others.
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