Have you ever stopped to think about salt? I love to cook, bake, and experiment in the kitchen, so I spend more time thinking about salt—the different kinds of salt, their flavors, textures, and other properties, if something is too salty or needs just the smallest pinch of flaky French sea salt to brighten it—than I imagine most people do.

Sodium chloride, as salt is formally known, is an amazing ionic compound. It flavors, preserves, tenderizes, and helps provide structure to our food. It purifies through its abrasiveness and anti-bacterial properties. It has medicinal uses, extinguishes certain types of fire, and de-ices roads, among many other uses. Without salt, our experience of the world would be duller, less flavorful, and more dangerous.

When we keep in mind salt’s incredible properties, Jesus’ words in this Sunday’s Gospel become more potent. He tells his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13), directing his followers to flavor, preserve, tenderize, purify, protect, and provide structure to the world. As disciples of Jesus, we should brighten, enrich, and strengthen the world around us.

Jesus’ command to be salt also comes with a warning—salt that loses its taste is “no longer good for anything” (Matthew 5:14). While sodium chloride can’t spoil, salt can taste less salty because it absorbs odors, impurities, and moisture, which can alter or dilute its flavor. As the salt of the earth, we need to be proactive about protecting our saltiness, flavoring and brightening the world without absorbing too much of the culture.

This weekend, if you can, take a tiny taste of salt on its own, and then sprinkle the tiniest pinch of that same salt on a bite of fruit or a vegetable. Notice how the salt brightens and amplifies the goodness of your bite and remember, just like salt, we are called to brighten and amplify the goodness of the Lord in the world.