Pray Hard – Stay Salty

Discipline and Joy in the Gospel

Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. I am not saying he is my favorite, only that no one changed the game like Michael. During the COVID pandemic, we watched the documentary series The Last Dance about the rise of the Chicago Bulls during the 1990’s and especially the 1997-1998 season. Jordan does not come across as a nice guy during much of the series. He puts a lot of pressure on himself and on others to win games. He might be out partying or playing a few rounds of golf, but gametime was always “go time” for Michael. What if we had the same type of dedication to our Christian faith?

Today in the Gospel, once more we witness an encounter of people with Jesus. He is still preaching the Sermon on the Mount, sharing the keys to happiness in Christian life. One of the phrases challenges and mystifies simultaneously.

You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot (Mt. 5:13).

Salt doesn’t call attention to itself: it quietly changes everything it touches. Jesus wants us to give flavor to the world.

The Big Lie

The world wants to make us think that being Christian is boring and that a worldly life is exciting. This is what I call the Big Lie. Here’s the thing: the Devil can do some things and promise other things, but he is always the Father of Lies. So, when the Devil promises something, he often overpromises and underdelivers. He promises pleasure, and it may be true that his activities cause pleasure for a time, but it is never definitive happiness. The Devil sells counterfeit happiness.

Imagine buying a Louis Vuitton handbag for $200. Would you be surprised later to discover it is fake? No, of course not, because it is probably valued at ten times that price. In the same way, the Devil promises cheap ways to great pleasure, but it always ends up disappointing in the end.

Eternal Accountability

One day, we will stand before the Lord, not to explain our intentions, but our lives. And we could look at this image of being “salt of the earth” as a major point to be examined. So, how do we get salty in a Gospel sense? Just as salt brings out the flavor in food, discernment clarifies our thoughts and helps us to see the difference between what is good and what is evil. Bishop Diodochus of Photice wrote a treatise On Spiritual Perfection and talked about true Christian discernment.

The light of true knowledge makes it possible to discern without error the difference between good and evil. Then the path of justice, which leads to the Sun of Justice, brings the mind into the limitless light of knowledge, since it never fails to seek the love of God with all confidence (Bishop Diodochus of Photice).

Spiritual Reading

We need to work to bring knowledge to our minds. One great way to have this happen is pursuing spiritual reading. We take a spiritual book – especially from the Church Fathers and approved spiritual authors – and sit down reading for maybe 10-15 minutes before reflecting and maybe making some personal notes. This is a great way of learning about the faith and working to conform our minds to the mind of Christ (cf. Rom. 12:2).

Calm Minds

Diodochus invites us to stillness of mind, even in the midst of our struggles. This helps us discern between good thoughts sent by God and evil ones inspired by the Devil. He proceeds to give the image of water that is clear and easy to see into the depths when it is calm, but impossible to see through when it is stirred up. Is your mind calm or turbulent?

Calm takes practice. This is why Wall Street investment firms like hiring D1 athletes. They want discipline and focus. If you want to become a man or woman of prayer, you need discipline and focus. Just like Jordan or a D1 athlete, you need to practice, repeat, and keep coming back, even when you don’t feel like it. Take 10-15 minutes 2 to 3 times a week and practice spiritual reading. Pray hard – and stay salty.