Word to the Wise
Thursday, October 27, 2016 - Thursday in the 30th Week in Ordinary Time
[Eph 6:10-20 and Luke 13:31-35]Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate and your feet shod in readiness for the Gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all the flaming arrows of the Evil One. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. [Ephesians]
When I was a grade school student and being prepared for the Sacrament of Confirmation, the prevailing image for that sacrament was to be a "soldier for Christ!" As part of the sacrament, the bishop would touch one's face on the cheek as a symbol of being struck, as was Christ, for preaching the gospel. (Nowadays, the bishop shakes your hand and says, "Peace be with you.") It was part of the general theology of the Church in those days: Church Militant, Church Suffering, Church Triumphant. The passage from the Letter to the Ephesians served as some of the inspiration for this outlook.
The Church militant is alive and well, if reduced in size, in the form of many "apologetic" websites that envision themselves as defenders of the faith. They range from very responsible (Bishop Barron's "Word on Fire") to some rather mean ones which I will omit from further mention. The "Church Suffering" is easily represented by what is being done to the Christian church in the conflicts in Syria and iraq. Even in the Holy Land, the Christian presence has been drastically reduced in the last 50 years. As for the Church Triumphant, I think we'll have to await the Lord's coming to realize that fully. At one time, the splendor of Church ceremony was pointed to as an example, but a more ecumenical spirit prevails now, thankfully.
Being strong and steadfast in one's faith and ready to defend it in case of need does not necessarily mean aggressive militancy, but it does mean a willingness to stand for one's belief and be courageous in sharing it. Ephesians today is our pep talk! AMEN
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