Heavenly Nourishment

The Imposition of Salt

 

Quality of salt is that it causes hunger and thirst. The Church used to draw attention to this feature of salt in the rite of baptism used before Vatican II. There, the priest would pinch salt in the mouth of the baby to be baptized. He would then pray, After this first taste of salt, let his [or her] hunger for heavenly nourishment not be prolonged but soon be satisfied … 

This “heavenly nourishment” was an allusion, of course, to the Eucharist, to the true food and true drink that Christ wants to give us all. This should give us pause. Am I salt of the earth in this sense too? 

Does my life and witness make others hunger and thirst for the Eucharist? Jesus’ words today suggest that our lives will have this effect to the extent that they retain the distinctive flavor of the Gospel, to the degree that they are staked on the power of realities unseen. The more this is true of us, the more Catholics will desire to “come home.”

Link (here) to the full post and homily by Deacon Aaron Pidel, S.J.