via Wikimedia Commons
“You
are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.” Mt.
5:14
I talked with
a man recently who used to be a Catholic until someone persuaded him that the
Church had it all wrong. Someone had used scripture to convince him that it was
idolatrous to pray the rosary and that the Eucharist was a mere symbol. He thought
Jesus’s claim to be the bread of life (John 6:48-55) was symbolic, yet he
interpreted other biblical passages literally and out of context. He questioned
the depiction of Jesus crucified, saying He should only be shown as glorified. While
he seemed to have much knowledge of scripture and even of Church teaching, he lacked
understanding of its meaning.
In contrast, in
today’s readings, Paul speaks “not with sublimity of words or of wisdom” but
with fear and trembling, depending solely on the power of God. Paul teaches
nothing but “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” Paul is one of Christ’s humble disciples,
called to spread the Gospel from the very beginning of Christianity. Their words
and deeds, letters and writings, became the scripture of the New Testament that
this man relies on. Their firm teaching about the Eucharist and their
proclamation of the death and resurrection of Christ was controversial in the
beginning, too, and led to much persecution and suffering for the early
Christians. But they persevered and did not sway from the hard truth about
Christianity.
The Catholic
Church has stood for over 2000 years, from the time it was founded by Jesus
Christ and His Apostles were commissioned to teach the nations. It is the city
set on the mountain; the shining light in the darkness of history, never hidden
from sight; the salt that has never lost its savor. The Church waits with open
arms for all her children to return, as a mother waits for her wayward
children. May our prayers, conversations, and outreach hasten the day when
Christians are again truly united in faith and understanding as One, Holy,
Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
Readings for Feb. 5th, 2017 - Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Is
58:7-10 - Ps 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 - 1 Cor 2:1-5 - Mt 5:13-16
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