Word to the Wise
Saturday, September 9, 2017 - Saturday in the 22th Week in Ordinary Time
[Col 1:21-23 and Luke 6:1-5]You once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds; God has now reconciled you in the fleshly body of Christ through his death, to present you holy, without blemish, and irreproachable before him, provided that you persevere in the faith, firmly grounded, stable, and not shifting from the hope of the Gospel that you heard...[Colossians]
SEPTEMBER 9 ST. PETER CLAVER, SJ
It would be difficult to duplicate the Meditteranean world in which St. Paul preached during his missionary journeys. If we recall that he gave up trying to convince his fellow Jews about Jesus as the Messiah, and turned his attention to the "Gentiles," the size of the task was really amazing. Christianity would be seen as just one more religious option among many. There were not just the familiar Greco/Roman deities, but also "mystery cults" from the Middle East which had come through commercial trade to the various Mediterranean ports. It is amazing that the Gospel got a hearing at all. A reading of St. Paul's speech in Athens [Acts 17:23-34] gives us a sample of his approach, which built on the religious experience of the audience. Despite the obstacles, including persecution by Roman authorities, which we learn about through all of St. Paul's Letters and other New Testament testimony, the Christian faith spread. There was and is a "hope of the Gospel" that reached many hearts and minds.
In our own day, especially in our "option-crazy" individualistic secular society, religious faith is becoming more and more an individual choice from a cafeteria of religious options. The "I'm spiritual but not religious" option seems to be a prominent one nowadays! How can we Christians, especially we Catholics, offer something that cuts through the "options" to shine with ultimate truth? I am always impressed with the testimony of those who go through the RCIA programs each year and their search for God. What many of us take for granted is precious and new to them. If those of us who are "cradle" Catholics become more intentional in the practice of our faith and see this as a witness to a world in need of hope, great things can happen. Just ask St. Paul! AMEN
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