Word to the Wise
Friday, October 25, 2024 - Friday in the 29th Week in Ordinary Time
[Eph 4:1-6 and Luke 12:54-59]I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace; one Body and and Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. [Ephesians]
The fundamental challenge we all receive at baptism is contained in this passage from the Letter to the Ephesians. We are challenged to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received. We cannot say we have been given a challenge without any instructions. The gospels, to begin with, contain the teachings of Jesus. The community of faith - the church - has meditated on and preached these teachings from Pentecost to the present day. Humans that we are, however, we retain the freedom to hear and live by other "gospels" that can compete with Jesus' teachings: consumerism, secularism, political power, violence, and many others. St. Paul provides a colorful list in Galatians 5:16-21. Furthermore, it is not a matter simply of avoiding evil. We can do that and remain inert! We are called to love one another as Christ has loved us. That is "the call we have received and the manner in which we are to live." If we still need a list of things we can do, the Gospel According to Matthew provides one [Matt. 25:31-45]. Some might say, "It isn't as simple as that!" But it is! AMEN