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<\/p>\nSalt is a very peculiar type of seasoning. It is invisible when dissolved, not even colorful in its solid state, yet essential for taste. We miss it even if we cannot see it.
\nI know many people who are \u201cthe salt of the earth\u201d and they all tend to be – like salt – almost invisible in the sense of publicity – but indispensable.
\nI will mention but a few, although there are many, many more of them. They keep our Church alive. Who are they?<\/p>\n
Several women living in a remote town of vast Canadian prairies. Most of them are widows. They go to Mass daily to pray for Pope\u2019s intentions. They also meet every evening to pray for priests, especially those of them who are undergoing some kind of crisis. Those ladies, most of them in late 70ties, also offer all kinds of practical help to the foreign priests who come to our Archdiocese \u2013 anything from shopping to arranging medical checkups to reading Breviary with them in English.<\/p>\n
A group of women and men in my parish who cook and bake in church basement every Saturday \u2013 every week of the year, be it summer or winter \u2013 and then sell these goodies to the parishioners after Sunday Masses. 100% of proceeds from the sale go to missions all over the world. They literally feed the hungry \u2013 and do it twice. I have never met more cheerful people.<\/p>\n
A quiet priest in one of our downtown poor parishes, who never says \u201cno\u201d to a request for confession or advice, or \u201cjust a talk\u201d, no matter how untimely for him.
\nHe is equally approachable to a homeless, mentally troubled person and a well-known, successful businessman. You see this priest in his church very often, well outside the Mass time. Somehow he seems to treat church as his home rather than a place of work. He kneels very, very close to the Tabernacle.<\/p>\n
Parents of a seminarian in our St Joseph\u2019s seminary here, both immigrants, both in poor health and not young any longer. They should have retired at least 3 years ago\u00a0 – yet they are still working very hard. They pay for their son\u2019s education, always ready to support him in his vocation, always full of joy, hospitable to a fault. They never seem to let go of rosary.<\/p>\n
An aging mother of two adults who \u201chave issues with God\u201d and are no longer practicing Catholics. She comes to daily Mass and begs God\u2019s mercy for them \u2013 and is full of hope, no matter what life throws at her. She supports every good cause \u2013 be it a collection for a new tabernacle, flowers for altars, clothing or food for the needy. A very cheerful giver and a very quiet one.<\/p>\n
Can salt lose its taste and properties? Yes, it can. We all can change \u2013 and we often do.. worn out by what seems sometimes our \u201cfruitless efforts\u201d, or broken by adversity, or tempted by the call to \u201c enjoy life MORE\u201d and \u201clive life to the fullest\u201d and above all \u201calways think about NO 1 \u2013 yourself\u201d.<\/p>\n
So..<\/p>\n
The ladies in the Prairie town can give up on their prayer campaign and start watching movies in evening \u2013 haven\u2019t they worked enough in their busy lives? And let the foreign priests struggle through our Canadian snowy winters on their own \u2013 or let the Diocese, only 400 km away, look after them.<\/p>\n
The helpers of missions can go to yoga classes on Saturdays instead of baking and cooking in a stuffy basement kitchen. They all are slightly overweight anyway. The missions should be supported by organizations, should they not? These donations are a drop in a bucket anyway.<\/p>\n
The prayerful downtown priest can become a kind of Church \u2013 appointed administrator instead of a pastor and demand that petitioners book appointments for confession \u2013 a week ahead – either through the secretary or a computer program (you can download an app for this). That will give him way more free time and allow him to join a jogging group. He is not very fit.<\/p>\n
Parents of the seminarian can withdraw their support, retire and maybe travel a bit. Soon they will not be able to travel anyway. Let the young guy struggle with his tuition and vocation all on his own. Who knows? Maybe he will turn around and become, say, an engineer? Or a lawyer? There are holy lawyers, too.<\/p>\n
And the rosary looks so nice as a decoration on the wall.<\/p>\n
The mother of the fallen-off Catholics might reconcile herself with the fact that her kids path leads away from the Church. Maybe she could sleep in a bit longer now instead of going to church before work? Maybe she can enlist into the raiki classes in the evening? That is what her cheerful neighbour advises.<\/p>\n
But if salt loses its taste, – says Jesus – It is no longer good for anything\u2026<\/p>\n
Salt is a very peculiar type of seasoning. It is invisible when dissolved, not even colorful in its solid state, yet essential for taste. We miss it even if we cannot see it. I know many people who are \u201cthe salt of the earth\u201d and they all tend to be – like salt – almost […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n