Ephesians 1:15-23 / Luke 12:8-12
Paul prays for Christians: May God enlighten your innermost vision.
An old Dakota cowboy told a newsman, “It’s going to be
a fine day. If geese were flying closer together, we’d have bad weather.” The
cowboy went on to say that he could predict weather better than electronic
equipment. “You must use your eyes and look at God’s radar. Furry calves mean
early winter; hairy caterpillars signal hard winter; gophers nestling in
prairie grass mean rain.” Then the old cowboy paused and mused, “Sometimes, I
think we don’t see anymore.” This can also be said about modern Christians when
it comes to their spiritual vision. It’s the grace Paul prays that the
Ephesians will receive.
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How clear is our own spiritual vision? “Nothing here
below is profane for those who know how to see. On the contrary, everything is
sacred.” Teilhard de Chardin
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The term blasphemy may be
generally defined as anything from defiant irreverence to intentional
sacrilegious acts. Hence it can mean acts like cursing God or wilfully
degrading things relating to God. It can also be attributing some evil to God,
or denying Him some good that should be attributed to Him. Yet we believe that
God is love and forgiveness and He will forgive us even if we had committed the
most heinous sin. So what did Jesus mean when He said that "he who
blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven"?
The purpose of this phrase was to strengthen the disciples in the face of
persecution and to deter them from falling into apostasy (giving up the faith)
out of cowardice or doubt. It was also meant as an admonition - a sin can only be
unforgivable if repentance is impossible. So in other words, it is not whether
God will forgive; it is a question of whether we want to repent or not.
Because along with repentance is also the trust in God's love and mercy and
forgiveness. To be able to declare that is to stand before others and witness
to God and all that He has done for us.
***
All parts of the readings today call upon us to contemplate our relationship with Christ and His power for those who believe. The Gospel today is as relevant as it was 2,000 years ago.
In it, we have Jesus going up
to Jerusalem, where, as we all know, is crucified for our sins and ultimately
triumphs over death.
Like the disciples, we today
have a choice to make. At this point in the Gospel, the disciples do not know
what awaits them in Jerusalem. The same can be said of us in our daily lives
today.
They are assured that through
faith in Him, the Holy Spirit can be drawn upon for wisdom and knowledge. I ask
myself the question, have I made the final complete commitment to Christ?
Am I ready for the trials? In
our current times we have our own “rulers and authorities” that will test my
faith. In my own experience I find those who are the biggest challenge to my
faith are often friends, family, and neighbors. So, I try to go about living my
faith without embarrassment as a disciple of Christ. Hopefully I am a good
witness to his truth. I’m guaranteed “the Holy Spirit” will teach if I’m open
and discerning.
"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible." — St. Thomas Aquinas
Let us pray: God our steadfast hope, St.
Ignatius of Antioch knew that in his martyrdom he identified with your Son,
Jesus. Like Jesus, he was planted as a
grain of wheat in the furrows of the earth.
Let them grow from his death an abundant harvest of a new humanity. Give your people strength to follow him so
that our love and deep faith may bring life and joy to many. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
