It's pathetic to note how Libya's Muammar Gaddafi tries to cling to power at the expense of the people he has avowed to serve but has exploited insidiously. In his speech, he said that he was staying in his post as the eternal "leader of the revolution" and would die as a "martyr" rather than step down and flee to any other country as he has no position in the Libyan government to step down from. A lot of rhetoric that doesn't make any sense, a familiar double-talk resorted by despots obsessed with staying in power for as long as they live simply because it brings them wealth.
Gaddafi crossed my mind after reading today's gospel in the New Testament about Christ admonishing people not to lose life's salt. Part of the gospel read; "Salt is a good thing; but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another." The way I understand it, salt here refers to good deeds or works like charity and other human virtues.
When I think of Gaddafi and other despots like Hitler and the current North Korean leader, the biblical admonition that we should not love the world but live in it comes to mind. It's not only despots but also us who have the tendency to love the world, the mundane things that comes to us as more enticing than the intangible virtues like charity, humility and honesty. This made me think that this world is like a furnace designed to purity our soul on our journey to the life beyond.
In the Parable of the Sower, the Bible tells of the seeds sown in different kinds of soil or grounds. Some fell on shallow ground and die soon. I want to go immediately to the seeds that grow but were being threatened by the weeds that choke them because this gives me the situation in real life with the lure of mundane things trying to choke us. Our struggle is, to paraphrase the Bible, not to love the world but live in it with the salt of life in our journey to life beyond.
I have just opened this blog today and that explains why I titled this "The Salt of Life." From hereon, I hope that anybody who comes across this blog will like this posting and try to revisit me from time to time. I will also appreciate greatly any comment to my postings.
Gaddafi crossed my mind after reading today's gospel in the New Testament about Christ admonishing people not to lose life's salt. Part of the gospel read; "Salt is a good thing; but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another." The way I understand it, salt here refers to good deeds or works like charity and other human virtues.
When I think of Gaddafi and other despots like Hitler and the current North Korean leader, the biblical admonition that we should not love the world but live in it comes to mind. It's not only despots but also us who have the tendency to love the world, the mundane things that comes to us as more enticing than the intangible virtues like charity, humility and honesty. This made me think that this world is like a furnace designed to purity our soul on our journey to the life beyond.
In the Parable of the Sower, the Bible tells of the seeds sown in different kinds of soil or grounds. Some fell on shallow ground and die soon. I want to go immediately to the seeds that grow but were being threatened by the weeds that choke them because this gives me the situation in real life with the lure of mundane things trying to choke us. Our struggle is, to paraphrase the Bible, not to love the world but live in it with the salt of life in our journey to life beyond.
I have just opened this blog today and that explains why I titled this "The Salt of Life." From hereon, I hope that anybody who comes across this blog will like this posting and try to revisit me from time to time. I will also appreciate greatly any comment to my postings.
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