"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again?" (v. 50a)

The theme "Total Commitment" arouses deep questions within us. How committed a person am I concerning the ideals I hold dear? How much do I really stand up for the truths I have learned? Am I really convinced about my "religious convictions"? What are my commitments in life anyway?

A chicken and a pig were having a conversation one day. They were discussing how each of them provided for their master’s daily breakfast. The chicken merely laid her egg every morning, and that was a fairly easy contribution. But the pig, giving life and limb for the bacon, made vastly more than a contribution; it was more like total conimitment!

That’s what Jesus is talking about in today’s Gospel reading. Let’s not shr…