We hear Paul address the theme of the unity we have in Christ in his letter to the Ephesians. The Ephesians at one time were without Christ. They were estranged from Israel and were strangers to the covenant with God. Now, through the new covenant they share with Christ, the wall dividing them from the faith has come down. Now they have found peace and are reconciled with God. Like the Ephesians, we are members of the House of God. However, we live in a world that is still divided in many ways, with violence, war, and terrorism taking hold in different ways. Our faith urges us to work toward peace, to work toward the fulfillment of God’s kingdom. As we have been mentioning, this month of October is a month dedicated to Mary and to praying the rosary, to world missions month, and respect life month. How are we using the spiritual themes of this month in the Catholic Church to work toward unity and peace in our parish, in our diocese, and in our community?
St Paul of the Cross is the saint whose feast day we celebrate today. After serving a solider in Italy in the early 18th century, he turned to a life of prayer and developed a devotion to Christ’s passion. Paul of the Cross saw Christ's love and mercy as rooted in his passion. His preaching on Christ’s passion touched the hearts of many. He founded the Congregation of the Passion in 1720, known popularly as the Passionists. The Passionists added the vow of spreading the memory of Christ’s passion to the people to the traditional vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity. May we find comfort, love, and mercy in Christ’s passion and cross just like St Paul of the Cross. May we see our crosses united with the cross that Christ carried.
No comments:
Post a Comment