Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 7, 2022
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father.”
Today’s gospel passage immediately follows Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, focusing on the Beatitudes. Jesus then continues with the challenges of discipleship using the images of salt and light.
The image of light is relatively easy to understand. Let your actions and words be a light, reflecting the goodness and mercy of the heavenly Father. People will be drawn to the light and will come. That light will be their invitation without cost to hear about the Good News of Jesus. But what about the image of salt?
Initially, without context, this image perplexed me. Frankly, I don’t use salt much nor give it much thought. But in Jesus’ time, salt was a precious commodity because it possesses the properties to preserve and flavor. The Greeks thought it to be divine, and Roman soldiers received their wages in salt. If you performed a task or job well, you could be “worth your weight in salt.” It is easy to see how the disciples could relate to this image in this context.
Being salt of the earth means we should preserve, using faith and reason, the Word that Jesus gave to us and flavor the world with our works of love to reveal the Father’s glory. But Jesus warns us that “if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?”
We need to constantly refresh our discipleship by regularly celebrating the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and living the Beatitudes—the attitudes and actions Jesus prescribed. These are some of the ways we can keep us from losing our “season.”
As we continue our daily faith journey, let us be the salt of the earth and let God’s light shine through us. Heavenly Father, help us to go forth and do good.
Prayer
Dear Lord, we so much want to live in the light of your faithfulness. Help us never to become complacent in our journey with you. Guide us to be more giving—better listeners, slower to judge, and champions of others. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Blessed Anne, or Ana, as she was born as, was an early member of St. Teresa of Àvila's Discalced Carmelite order. Ana was born in October of 1550, the youngest child of a large Catholic family.
Her three brothers, three sisters, and their parents all attended Mass frequently as a family. Her parents instilled a life of faith in their young children, praying the rosary together, instructing their children in Catholic doctrine, and teaching their children to provide for and care for the poor they offered hospitality to in their home.
Ana was drawn to the love expressed by Christ in his passion, and she meditated upon his suffering for us often. Ana desperately wanted to imitate Christ. When Ana was only nine years old, her mother passed away. Only a year later, Ana's father died as well, leaving young Ana in desolation.
Left in the care of her brothers, Ana deeply desired to join the religious order, but her elder brothers would not hear of it, convinced that Ana would not be able to persist in religious life, and leave them, embarrassed, with a spinster sister.
Ana languished, miserable and alone. She fell ill, and nothing could cure her. Her relatives worried about her health, but no cure could help her. Finally, they carried her to a hermitage dedicated to St. Bartholomew, and Ana was cured.
At long last, Ana entered the Carmelite convent as a secular member. She entered in 1570 and remained the infirmarian at the Carmelite convent until 1605. Ana cared for St. Teresa faithfully on her deathbed. Teresa died in Ana's arms.
In 1605, the French Carmelites appointed Ana the superior of the convent in Pontoise. This was a highly unusual step, as Ana was a "secular Carmelite," meaning she was not part of the choir, and removed from the convent's life of prayer. She was consecrated as a religious sister and took over the convent at Pontoise. Ana became the prioress of several different convents: Tours, Flanders, and finally Antwerp, where she died on June 7, 1626. Her spiritual writings and letters are preserved in Antwerp and Paris.
Pope Benedict XV beatified Ana on May 6, 1917.
Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew, companion to St. Teresa of Avila—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Bl. Anne of St. Bartholomew is in the public domain. Last accessed March 6, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
