You were Sanctified!

 

23rd week Tuesday in Ordinary Time

Year One

Col 2:6-15

 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.  See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority.  In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.  He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it (Col 2:6-15).

Meditation

The way to the kingdom of God is narrow and very few follow it. The way to life and love is self-sacrifice, let go of things of life. The circumcision of the flesh is to offer to God and to belong to God. Jesus circumcises himself on the cross, dying for the Salvation of humans. Circumcision in a way is to give up ourselves, our egos, our selfishness, our pride and so on. We need to undergo circumcises in order to be purified, made holy and to be transformed as humans and especially to be transformed in Christ. The Lord invites to take up the cross and follow him. At end of the crucifixion and death there is glorious resurrection which takes us to joy everlasting. Our Blessed Mother lived sinless by the grace of God and she is blessed among women. Her name Mary is most beautiful and holy.

Do we let go of our pride and desire for flesh in order to be transformed in Christ?

Year Two

1 Cor 6:1-11

You were Sanctified!

There might be quarrels among the believers. Do not approach the ungodly but approach the believers and godly. Those who have the fear of God and respect for humanity will settle your disputes. In the first place, a believer having a dispute and quarrel is due to lack of faith, disbelief and love for God and the other. The quarrel and disrespect of the other should make one correct oneself and come to the path of God.

In case one is at fault, gone wrong in his life, and living in sin. St Paul tells us about such persons and the care to be taken in Jesus. “Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1Cor 6; 8-11).

Are we aware that sinful human nature is justified through Jesus?

Lk 6:12-19

Now during those days, he went out to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.  And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James’s son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor (Lk 6:12-16).

Jesus calls us by name. We are proud of our name. We want our name to be called. Our name is special to us. We identify a lot with our name. We work for our good name. A name means a lot. We do give meaning to the names of the people. Name has power in it. Names have meaning.  Today, Jesus is calling the disciples and choosing them. They were special and were blessed. They have played their role well and did what Jesus wanted. It does not mean that they have no shortcomings and hardships. They did everything because the Lord called them and chose them by name.

Do you trust that God has called you by name for His Mission?

Fr Putti Anthaiah, sdb