Salt for wisdom and for relish

A few weeks ago I celebrated my sixtieth birthday. Back in 1963 babies were generally baptised within a month or so of their birth, and thus, today I am quietly celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of my baptism. It is an anniversary which normally passes me by, but this year, just as I am especially conscious of sixty years of life, so I can also relish sixty years of sharing in Christ's priesthood, prophetic mission and kingship! 

Of course, like any baby I was completely unaware of the momentous change being wrought in me, acknowledging the rituals with only occasional gurgles or grizzles. But this single event, mostly unacknowledged, was to irrevocably and indelibly mark me as belonging to Christ, long before I pledged myself through my religious vows. And in fact, this sacrament features in our vows ceremonies, with the first question to the sister making vows being: Through baptism you have already died to sin and have been consecrated to God in the Risen Christ. Do you desire to live this consecration more profoundly through perpetual profession?

Thus, I have been reflecting on baptism today... but also on salt! This is partly due to today's Gospel, in which Jesus tells us we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and the many reflections which remind us of salt's usefulness for both flavour and preservation. But it was also due to the pre-Vatican II baptism liturgy, still in use in 1963, which I read last night, curious to know what prayers would have been said, what symbols and rituals used. And I was intrigued to discover that one of the first rituals involved placing a pinch of salt on the baby's tongue. Salt, according to the rubrics, as a symbol of wisdom, and a relish for the things of God; and a symbol of preservation from corruption. 

Salt for wisdom...? How so...? And then I remembered that in Latin-derived languages like Italian and Spanish, taste and flavour closely resemble, and share a common root with, knowledge and knowing. So common is this root, that sapere, saber - to know, can also be used when speaking of how food tastes. And in a moment I leapt from sapere to Taste and see that the Lord is good... from a delicate pinch of salt on my infant tongue, to an invitation to savour God as I would heaped platefuls of deliciousness, and to finger-licking, bowl-scraping relish and delight in God! Such is the invitation, issued sixty years ago, and repeated today.

Salt for wisdom, and for relish... And then a prayer said over me, that my hunger for heavenly food would soon be satisfied, and I would forever be fervent in spirit, joyful in hope and zealous in God's service. To which, sixty years later, I can only add my heartfelt AMEN!