Nineteenth Sunday in Course 2024
Saint Paul was one of the greatest Christian thinkers of his day or any other day, and we see it clearly in his letter to the Church of Ephesus. He has just told us to put off our old nature, prone to selfishness and sin, corrupted by uncontrolled lusts for money, power and pleasure. Instead he counsels us to put on the new nature. What new nature? The one we were destined to have from the creation of Adam and Eve. It’s the nature of man vitalized by the Holy Spirit and exemplified in Our Lord Jesus Christ, purified through suffering and risen from the dead.
Paul is very specific here: we must be righteous, never doing wrong, and holy, focused on doing good for others and engaging in right worship of the Trinity. Anger at sin, especially in ourselves, is OK. But we must not turn that anger into sin, like violent actions, lying to and about others, or abuse. That gives the devil a chance to divide us from the Body of Christ, and that’s just wrong. The cheats and thieves have to amend their ways, and become productive so that they can take care of their own families and help the needy. Our speech should never be hurtful of others; we must direct any speaking talent we have to building up others, and the community of faith. Do good and avoid evil. By doing evil we actually grieve the Holy Spirit, God Himself. In summary, Paul wants us to “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
That’s what the graces given to us through faith and sacramental participation enables us to be, and what those graces enable us to do. Christ is the center of all this action. We look to Him and, in the psalmist’s words, we can be “radiant with joy,” our faces not blushing with shame over our forgiven sins. Jesus Christ brings us the life of joy that no politician can ever muster.
On the business end of this mortal life, consider poor Elijah, journeying into the Sinai desert as he is pursued by Jezebel’s ancient Gestapo. His calculations tell him that he might as well be dead, for he is no better than his dead ancestors. He even prays for God to kill him. Instead, the messenger of God came and touched him, bidding him to eat. That gave him energy, and maybe some encouragement. He naps some more and again directed by the angel he eats more and drinks and by that nourishment has the energy to make it the rest of the way to the mount of God, Horeb, which is a high point on the Sinai peninsula. That story always reminds me of the critical scenes in book 3 of Tolkien’s Ring Trilogy, when the lembas bread nourishes Sam and Frodo on their way to Mount Doom. Even more, it reminds me that Jesus Christ declared Himself to be the living bread from heaven, bread that not only nourishes us in this life, but fits us for eternal life in the presence of the Blessed Trinity. May God on this day renew our faith in His Divine Presence, and make us always hungry for Him, the Bread of Life, until our life journey is done on earth, and we are ready for eternal life with Him.
