Dear Friends,

“You are the Salt of the Earth” Jesus says to the disciples in this week’s Gospel Reading. In the Biblical world, salt was very valuable. In fact, the word ‘salary’ comes from the same Latin roots as salt. So, not only was Jesus saying “you are precious,” he was also saying

“You are meant to make a difference—you are meant to flavor the world!” We all know that salt is meant to flavor food—some chefs even believe that all foods, even desserts, needed salt. It is interesting that salt is meant to bring out the flavor that is already there. Perhaps that is a good inspiration for us: we are meant to call forth the best that is already there in others, so that they can be their best selves.

Sometimes in the ancient world: people were paid in salt, wars were fought over salt, people were taxed for salt, salt was a big commodity in trade, agreements were sealed in salt. In fact the Hebrews made a “covenant of salt” with God, sprinkling salt on their burnt offerings to show their trust in God. When a guest arrived, they were offered salt as a sign of friendship. Salt was also used as a preservative. Salt came to be used in Christian baptism. In this usage it is meant to ‘whet the appetite’ for the wisdom of Christian doctrine and preserve the Christian disciple to life everlasting safe from corruption. In the rite of Baptism, the priest puts a crystal of salt on the baby’s tongue and says, “take this salt in sign of wisdom. May it be for you likewise a token that foreshadows everlasting life.”

So we see that salt offers us a nutritious wisdom to savor in contemplation this Sunday.  

On another note, every year at Valentine’s day, the Church prays for the love between married couples. Call to Action, through their Equally Blessed initiative, which works to put the concerns of the LGBTQ community before the whole Church, has developed a wonderfully inclusive prayer which we share here and invite you to pray in your “home church” this Valentine’s Week.

A Prayer for All Marriages

Loving God,

You who created each of us in Your own image

and who called us together in community,

We give You thanks for the gift of marriage

and for the many couples

whose love and commitment to each other reminds us

of Your never-ending love for humanity.

We thank You for all the different types of marriages in our world:

young couples beginning a life together,

as well as couples celebrating decades of love,

re-married couples and those who found each other later in life,

couples whose marriages are recognized by our state and our Church,

and same-sex couples who are denied that recognition

but who continue to bravely model love and commitment in the face of discrimination.

We thank You for the many kinds of families

that are strengthened by these marriages:

families of biological children and adopted children,

blended families and families of choice,

as well as couples without children who work together

to nurture communities of love and justice.

This week, as many are observing National Marriage Week,

we ask You to pour Your blessings onto every marriage

regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

Make each marriage one of love, respect and peace.

Guide each couple as they strive to be an example of your love in the world

and surround them with family and friends

who honor and celebrate their commitment.

Help us support marriage and family in all of its diversity

and guide us as we speak out against oppression in our Church.

Lead us toward the day when all loving unions will be seen as sacred

and all couples will have the support and recognition of their faith communities.

We pray this in the name of Jesus, who called us to love one another as we love You,

Amen

At The Spirit of Life, we are seek to learn from Wisdom wherever She shows herself in world religions and in prophetic poets so as to nourish God’s love and call in each of our lives. We invite you to come and experience life in our community as we contemplate in prayer and move with justice at The Spirit of Life. Through our time of prayer and sharing together, we work together to grow in our self-understanding and in our relationships with God and with God’s people. We celebrate the gift of our faith and the responsibility that is ours as followers of Jesus Christ.  It is our prayer that what we as a community experience in our praying together will overflow into the rest of our lives, making us more fully human and more ‘whole’….holy!  We invite you to join us in this endeavor and journey with us as we seek to grow in our love of God and to grow in our capacity to be living expressions of God’s loving peace and justice in our world.

May you be blessed with the gift of finding the extraordinary love of Christ in the work of your lives.

Ron & Jean