Double Agents of Grace - Weekday Homily Video

Let’s talk about espionage, double agents and spying. In the 2010 movie, Salt, Angelina Jolie plays Evelyn Salt, a CIA agent accused of being a Russian double agent. To prove her loyalty, she goes rogue, dodges bullets, and stops a nuclear war; she does all this while questioning which side she is really on. The movie’s tagline is, “Who is Salt?”

Jesus asks us the same question in the Gospel of Mark. “Who are you?” Are you bland, insipid salt, dissolving into the crowd? Or are you salted with fire—a bold catalyst and unignorable agent? “Everyone will be salted with fire,” Jesus says. “Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace.” Let’s decode this.

Salt and Fire

In Jesus’ day, salt wasn’t just for fries. It was a symbol of loyalty, used in covenants. Ancient warriors licked salt to pledge allegiance. It preserved meat and fish, healed wounds, and fertilized soil. Salt was so valuable that Roman soldiers were paid in it (hence the word “salary”—salarium, meaning salt allowance or salt money).  Fire? On the contrary, fire purified gold, forged tools, and burned away trash.  

When Jesus says, “Everyone will be salted with fire,” He’s saying: You’re a double agent. You live in the world, but your loyalty is to God’s kingdom. The “fire” is your mission—trials that test you, refine you, define you, and mark you as His.  Like Evelyn Salt dodging explosions to save the world, your fire—your mission—might be fighting for a marriage on the rocks, surviving a layoff, or staying kind in a culture of cynicism. Your struggles—the job loss, the heartbreak, dealing with a difficult child, the anxiety—they aren’t here to break you. They’re here to shape you. The flames aren’t meant to destroy you, they’re meant to refine and define you.  

A friend of mine worked at a corporate job where cutting corners was normal. When asked to lie to a client, she quit—even with bills stacking up. “It felt like jumping into a fire,” she said. But now she runs her own business. Her clients trust her because she refuses to be bland or insipid. Or think of a nurse who refused to help with an abortion and lost her job. I remember reading about a teacher who turned her classroom into a “kindness lab.” Students earned “points” for defending bullied peers or admitting mistakes. One kid said, “It’s like being a spy for good. You gotta be sneaky brave.”

A Mission

Your mission, if you chose to accept it, is to:

• Preserve the Good: Salt is used to preserve. Stand up for the bullied kid. Defend the truth when lies trend.  
• Heal the Broken: Salt stings in wounds but saves lives. Apologize first. Forgive even when it’s unfair.  
• Ignite Joy: Fire isn’t just for burning—it’s for light and warmth. Mail a lost friend. Host a waffle night for lonely neighbors or just dance in the grocery aisle and spread some smiles. 

In ancient treaties, enemies would share salt to pledge loyalty. Jesus’ call to “keep salt in yourselves” is a covenant: Live with such fierce love that the world tastes God’s goodness through you.  

So go be the salt. Not the sugar that dissolves to please, but the salt that wakes up the soul. Be the fire that burns bright. Stay spicy. “You are the salt of the earth” (Matt 5:13).

• Today’s Readings

• Father Boby's inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center this morning. You can view the Mass (and the Rosary at the 30-minute mark) on the Family Rosary YouTube page. 

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