Word to the Wise
Tuesday, October 20, 2020 - Tuesday in the 29th Week in Ordinary Time
[Eph 2:12-22 and Luke 12:35-38]So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you also are being built together into the dwelling place of God in the Spirit. [Ephesians]
"Christian! Remember your dignity!" These words of Pope Leo the Great are from a homily he preached at Christmas time, but they are worth echoing year around. The Letter to the Ephesians today reminds us of that dignity. We are members of the household of God! The image has a twofold meaning. On one level, the image refers to an arch that is held in place by the capstone (keystone), which symbolizes Christ. The other image is that of a person who belongs to a "household" of faith in God. In either meaning, the contrast for the Ephesians was between their lives before and after baptism. For us, the challenge is to recall what our baptism means and its continuing impact, which we often take for granted since for so many of us it occurred when we were infants.
The reminders of our baptism are usually centered around further sacramental events. When we make our First Communion, we have to provide a baptismal certificate. The same is true for confirmation, matrimony or ordination to diaconate/priesthood. The effect is like producing a diploma to prove that we graduated and not to show a present power working within us as members of the household of God! Baptism is not a past event but a present power that gives us the dignity of being a Christian and challenges us to live in accord with that dignity! When we serve as sponsors in baptism or confirmation, this challenge is all the more important because of the example we are called to give to the one we sponsor!! Pope Leo's words are worthy of our regular repetition: "Christian! Remember your dignity!" AMEN