Word to the Wise
Wednesday, September 11, 2019 - Wednesday in the 23th Week in Ordinary Time
[Col 3:1-11 and Luke 6:20-26]If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory. Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry. [Colossians]
In this first scripture for today, St. Paul is reflecting on the power and purpose of baptism. For those who are "cradle Catholics," (i.e. baptized as infants) it is difficult to appreciate the importance of the spiritual transformation that takes place in baptism. We may see it only in those who have come into the Church as adults at Easter and have gone through the RCIA process. Imagine, if you will - being a cradle Catholic -, a parish in which all but you are recent converts to the faith. Such was the community at Colossae. St. Paul is telling them that their baptism identified them with the Risen Christ. Their behavior had to reflect this transformation and identification.
The baptismal commitment becomes visible only when we show it by the way we live. For so many of us, baptism is a thing of the past, attested by a certificate. St. Paul is telling us that baptism is a continuing power in us that can motivate us to put aside ways of behaving that are incompatible with Christ's teachings. This can be a struggle for us, just as it was for the newly converted Colossians, but we are all called to be evangelizers and our personal lives must show this. A poster I once saw summed this up neatly: "If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" AMEN