These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Brothers and sisters: I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace; one Body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Eph 4:1-6)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102524.cfm
One Lord, one faith, one baptism. Preserving “the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace” seems to be just wishful thinking in times like these. Why do the letters keep repeating phrases such as these over and over again? Well, the early church must have been just as contentious as the church has been throughout its history. One Lord, one faith, one baptism reminds us that we are all members of just one family. Today's photo is of the renewal of baptismal vows at the River Jordan.
Rooted and grounded in love, may you have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us, to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Eph 3:14-21)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102424.cfm
Rooted and grounded in love . . . The power at work within us is not one of control over others but rather one of love, God’s love that comes to us in Christ Jesus.
I became a minister (servant) by the gift of God’s grace. (Eph 3:2-12)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102324.cfm
It’s always good to check several Bible translations in order to get a better sense of what the underlying Greek text is actually saying. The word “minister” is not the word used in Greek. Rather the word is diakonos (servant). When he recently named new cardinals for the church, Pope Francis suggested that the cardinals should forgo the ancient honorific, EMINENCE, and use instead the more humble title “Servant” or “Deacon.” It remains to be seen if any of the cardinals, new or old, will accept this change. Cardinals generally like to think of themselves as the “princes” of the church rather than as “servants.” Today's photo is of the ordination of deacons at Saint Meinrad Archabbey Church, Indiana, on March 26, 1977.
Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants.” (Lk 12:35-38)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102224.cfm
There used to be a t-shirt that said, “Jesus is coming again. Look busy!” To stay watchful and vigilant means we should prepare for his coming by caring for the most needy among us. Because what we do for them, we do for him. Mom and I visited Rome in January 1989. During that visit, Pope John Paul II had the privilege of meeting my mom twice!
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them. (Eph 2:1-10)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102124.cfm
The gift of God . . . we are God’s work of art. What a dignity we have in Christ Jesus. Mother Laura (1874-1949) is the first canonized saint from Colombia. She founded a religious community of women missionaries dedicated to the indigenous and the marginalized. She worked to overcome racial discrimination. Mother Laura was canonized May 12, 2013, by Pope Francis. Her tomb and shrine are in Medellín, Colombia.