September 3, 2011
Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, pope and doctor of the church
And you who once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body 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 1:21-23a
Jesus said to them in reply, "Have you not read what David did when he and those [who were] with him were hungry? [How] he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering, which only the priests could lawfully eat, ate of it, and shared it with his companions." Then he said to them, "The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath." Luke 6:3-5
Piety
O God, by your name save me. By your strength defend my cause. O God, hear my prayer. Listen to the words of my mouth. Psalm 54:3-4
Study
Whose rules do we follow?
When driving in traffic, we follow (or are supposed to follow) the laws set down by civil authorities. Drive the speed limit. Keep right. Yield to pedestrians and bikers.
When making our way in the world of work, we must adhere to the tax laws of the nation, our home state and local governments.
Yet when making our way through life, we must follow the precepts of the Lord of the Sabbath. As St. Paul reminds us, through his "fleshly body," we were reconciled from our evil ways. So through our "fleshly bodies," we must then persevere in the faith and be fully grounded in the Lord. That is our end of the covenant to hold up in order to be presented in our reconciled (i.e. holy and unblemished state) to the Lord.
Action
Let's face it. We are the rope in the tug-of-war between good and evil. When our muscles get sore, we want to give in and let evil win. That is why we need to stay connected to the Lord through prayer, study and action.
What tug-of-war are you being pulled by this weekend? Do not give in to the last of the lazy, hazy, crazy and likely rainy days of summer. Get up and get active. Look for opportunities to help others around the corner, around the nation and around the world. They are counting on your fleshly body to be the arms and legs of Christ's love on earth today and every day.
Be it the Hurricane victims in Vermont or Louisiana, the famine victims in the Horn of Africa, or the unemployed workers facing long term unemployment right here in America. we all can continue to share of our time, talents and treasures to make their world a better place. We'll never miss the help that they will never forget.
