Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 104

In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us the mystery of his will in accord with his favor that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.

This poetic song in Saint Paul's Letter to the Ephesians is like a jawbreaker. If you begin one in the morning, you might finish late in the day; but Saint Paul promises with this song a lifetime of sweet delight, continual reflection and endless revelation.

😇We should first notice its references to the Holy Trinity. The word trinity had not yet been invented when Saint Paul wrote this letter but it's clear that he will praise the Father who has blessed us in the Son with every Spiritual blessing in the heavens. 

It's hard to fathom the inclusiveness of "every spiritual blessing;" but as we meet many people in the Church of different national, denominational, ethnic, racial and language groups, and innumerable saints of past centuries in their all-but-forgotten cultural settings, we come to appreciate its depth and breadth. There is something for everyone in Christ Jesus.

😇The Apostle says we  were chosen "before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him." Pope Francis's explicit intention in his recent Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et Exultate is to remind us of the "call to holiness in today's world." He cites God's invitation to Abraham, "Walk before me and be blameless." 

During crises people sometimes ask, "Where is God?" Our response should be, "Here I am." We are God's representatives and spokespeople in this troubled world; but we do far less speaking than presenting by our holy way of life. (As Saint Francis never said, "Preach always and when necessary, use words.") Whether we're at home or at work, in school or the shopping center, on the highway or the movie theater, we are to be holy and without blemish before him.

Without blemish refers to the sacrificial lamb, prized for its beauty and tenderness, which devout Jews offered as a paschal sacrifice. It recalls Jesus' teaching that we should be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Like Jesus, the innocent lamb trusted completely in the human until the moment she was slaughtered. 

There will be days when we must speak the simple truth to powerful, threatening authorities. We should never suppose those days are over and will never return; that would suppose the Holy Spirit has abandoned the world to its doom! But even in the United States today, as factions scream at each other, each party rallying its base with hate speech, we can be as innocent as lambs. 

😇Lest you suppose this exhortation is beyond your ability, let me tell you that your priest sees that innocence in the faces of the Catholic congregation every Sunday. Like sleeping children, men and women in worship radiate attractive beauty. Perhaps because they're not using them for any particular purpose, their faces take on a soft, fleshy vulnerability, an openness and availability to grace. I am sure Abraham and Sarah looked exactly like that as God said, "Walk before me and be blameless." The innocence of Adam and Eve is restored when we worship the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

😇If you are distressed by the tumult of our time, and wondering where will this end, Saint Paul assures us, "In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ..." God has a plan, a destiny for each of us. An entirely secular mindset sees no future; it cannot recognize a purpose to anything. Why do birds have wings? You and I know they're meant to fly, but the strictly secular mind dismisses teleology.  "They figured out how to fly with their wings but there was no plan for them to fly." "We may be going somewhere," they might say, "but there is no plan."

But faith recognizes God's hand in human affairs, even in chaotic, troubled times. How often do we make plans only to realize God had a different, better plan? And we're glad our plans didn't work out! It doesn't take great personal holiness to recognize that, only a modicum of modesty. "Man proposes," as they say in Alcoholics Anonymous, "and God disposes."

😇"...for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the Beloved." During the Mass we experience firsthand the glory and grace of God's presence, and we realize the Holy Spirit has brought us together even as the Lord Jesus presents us to His Father. We can practically hear the flutter of angel wings as they cry out, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of Hosts." In fact we take up the cry also!

😇"In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us. " This redemption and forgiveness are practically byproducts of God's intentions. The Lord has appeared among us to bring us into the Father's presence, especially through the Eucharist, and that obviously requires that we be purified as Aaron and his sons were purified before they could offer the sacrifice. As we eat his flesh and drink his blood we are purified by his blood, and our sins are forgiven. This is required if we are to be  holy and without blemish before him.

These blessings he has lavished upon us.

The song continues! It's a jawbreaker. It's an inexhaustible stream; we cannot drink it dry.

Everyone will draw from it what she needs to hear. I find great reassurance in knowing that, by eating our daily bread, we are made holy and without blemish before him.