It was my turn to make dinner, and I had opted for a new recipe — angel hair pasta coated in a sauce combining roasted garlic, butter, pasta water and a bag of spinach. It smelled heavenly. It tasted like dehydrated ocean water. I had oversalted the pasta water, effectively ruining the dish. Laughing, my husband and I both refilled our water glasses several times as we suffered through our bowls. No doubt that meal will enter our family lore as an evening when nothing went right (Did I mention I also set half a box of pasta on fire?), but it stands out in my mind as a reminder of the power of salt. When used correctly, salt can call out flavors and bring food alive. Just think of a warm brown butter chocolate chip cookie sprinkled with flakey sea salt. Is there anything better? Salt can also act as a preservative. It can clean and heal wounds. According to M. Eugene Boring’s Matthew Commentary in The New Interpreter’s Bible, salt also represented sacrifice (Leviticus 2:13; Ezekiel 42:24), covenant fidelity (Ezra 4:14; Numbers 18:19), and eating together as a way of creating a binding relationship to Matthew’s readers. This evocative, multi-layer metaphor for discipleship opens Sunday’s Gospel passage. It is the role that Jesus, through the pen of Matthew, says is ours. By nature of being a follower of Jesus, we bring out the best in others — the goodness God has already created. We cleanse. We preserve. We bind. Our purpose is derived from and through our relationship with the world around us. ...
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Thank you to guest writer Rose Schrott Taylor. | 
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