Word to the Wise
Thursday, September 13, 2007 - St. John Chrysostom
[Colossians 3:12-17 and Luke 6:27-38]Put on, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.....
After being told yesterday what we should "put to death" in our lives as Christians, today we are told what we should bring to life - to "put on," as it were. It is a beautiful exhortation and one of my favorites in all the New Testament. Be sure to read it! But do we always feel the way St. Paul says we should feel? If we are truthful the answer has to be "NO!" We don't always have heartfelt compassion for one another. We aren't always gentle and patient and forbearing and forgiving. We aren't always loving. The peace of Christ does not always control our hearts nor does his Word always dwell richly in us. In short, we are all saints and sinners. If we accept that conclusion about ourselves, does that mean we should not try to "put on" those wonderful virtues? Of course not!!!! If we stop trying, we are headed for savagery and we already know that savagery is in plentiful supply! Why should we add to it? Human nature has a rebellious streak in it, as Adam and Eve taught us. We don't like to be told that we should be good. We want to choose to be bad when we blindly perceive bad as good! The terrifying consequences of such thinking and acting assault us every day. We all need encouragement in our efforts to live good Christian lives. St. Paul's pep talk is just the thing! AMEN
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