WHAT good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown and trampled underfoot as worthless. (Matthew 5:13). After the Lord compared those who follow him as 'the salt of the earth', He then painted a painful reality that the privilege to make a difference can be overpowered, not by evil, but by indifference!
Last week, I wrote an article about how the poor citizens of this city are becoming easy prey to the "Salisi" gang. These merciless vultures prey on the ordinary folks, zapping them of their meager income to feed their greed, by mingling with the crowd and in an instant, robbing others of hard-earned money. The cctv footages show that they do not work alone. In fact, a child-carrying mother took the bag of my friend. Hearing their story, I used my space in this newspaper, "Sun.Star", to tell the sad event.
I am thankful for my editor, Stella, for sharing the passion to make a difference to provide 'space' to the voiceless...to Sun.Star and to Stella, you have functioned like salt would...a flavor and a disinfectant in the city of Davao. It came to my knowledge that the Mayor noted this issue. I can only say 'Thank you, sir,' for hearing the voice of the helpless people in your city. To be heard by the authorities is, already for me, 50% justice served already. I am grateful that the powerful still hear the voiceless. Daghang salamat.
Well, will the money be returned and the laptop retrieved? Honestly, I doubt... but we already helped the victims to avail of a soft loan in order for him to buy a new one... good for two-year payment. The lesson here is that we can be 'salty' again... with the flavor of grace as we learn to quietly serve the marginalized; becoming disinfectants-exposing the germs of the vultures.
Because of this, Sun.Star will be my choice for my local daily... who will be my candidate for the next election? I will vote for Stella - hahaha. Thanks for being a 'salt' of the city. The lesson I have learned here is to bring my faith alongside the streams of daily reality with the hope it will become salty again. In chemistry, I learned that Sodium and Chloride are two chemicals which are poisonous by themselves, but when combined, they become salt... "Amazing."
While my passion to make a difference is boiling, I find it timely to take the warning of a priest, Henri Nouwen, who said "A desire to "save," whether from sin or poverty or exploitation, can be the most damaging motive for ministry." I needed those words to slap me back to reality and the arrogance of leveling up to becoming a "mini" MESSIAH. Hmmmm, it is good to be a "gracist" and to be "salty" again.