Pass the Salt

May 14, 2026

Salt gets a lot of bad press these days, and often rightly so. Concerns about high blood pressure and other health risks have caused many of us to rethink our sodium intake.  As something we work to avoid, it’s hard to imagine that in ancient times salt was a prized commodity.  Trade in salt was widespread; in some cases it was worth as much as gold. Wars were fought to obtain it and Roman soldiers were paid in salt. In fact, the word salary shares its roots with salt. It’s hard to imagine that something that is so commonplace could have secured a place of prominence in our history.

Salt has found its way into many of our expressions as well. To be worth one’s salt is a compliment on a person’s work ethic.  Although lies are not poisonous in a literal sense, taking something with a grain of salt is thought to be a reference to salt’s ability to act as an antidote for some poisons. Of course none of us wants someone to “rub salt into our wounds’ and most of us would prefer not to go “back to the old salt mine.” The bible authors used salt’s power in many references as well, most famously in the gospel of Matthew, “You are the Salt of the Earth.”

Over Lent, our staff and students have been thinking about this scripture quote and what it could mean in our modern context.  Although we don’t use salt as currency anymore, we are all very familiar with salt and its uses: seasoning and preserving food, melting ice, gargling for a sore throat, etc.  At our Ash Wednesday Prayer Service we talked about the ways salt is used and how that can translate into strengthening our relationship with each other and with God. Our prayers of petition were:

• That we use this season of Lent to become people who are salt of the earth, adding flavor to the lives of others; we pray to the Lord;
•  When people are hurt or sick, that we act as salt by helping others to heal, we pray to the Lord;
•  When our feelings are hardened by anger or fear, that we act as salt by helping soften our words, we pray to the Lord;
•  When our hearts are frozen, forgetting to pray or feeling stuck, that we act as salt, melting our spirit so that we remember to pray often, we pray to the Lord.

 I hope that this Lenten season provides all of us-students, parents and staff- with opportunities to grow closer to each other and to God. Focussing on prayer and service is a great start and will allow others to taste the goodness of our school community. Please, pass the salt!

Peace,

Christine McInnis