Deacon
Tom Writes,
“The Enemy Within”
Today’s readings give us food for thought as we begin
another Lenten season. Our first reading recalls the promise or covenant God
made with Abram, that he will be the father of many nations, that his children
will outnumber the stars….Imagine that! You couldn’t blame Abram for holding
back a little chuckle when God revealed his plan. Imagine if he was able to see
the heavens through the eyes of the Hubble Telescope and realize how impossible
it would be to count the number of stars in the heavens!!! Lent is a time to
reflect on the promises God has made and
also fulfilled for our benefit. God made good on his promise to redeem the
world from the darkness of sin and death through the sacrifice and obedience of
his Son, Jesus, Son of God, and Son of Mary. If we understand in the slightest
what God has done for us then we realize what a great gift we have received,
for we have been given the gift of Eternal Life, the chance to live with him
forever. This is the gift that Christ’s death and resurrection has secured for
us.
Another theme flowing from our readings today to
guide us on our Lenten journey is that of transformation. Peter, James, and
John witness Jesus in the fullness of his glory and they are overwhelmed. This
sneak preview of the Divine Jesus helps us realize that we too must be
transformed into the mystical Body of Christ. St. Paul spoke directly about our
need to experience this metamorphosis when he wrote to the Galatians… “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me”
(Gal 2:20). A mature Christian
mindset is one that is always seeking to follow in Christ’s footsteps, that is,
to conform our hearts and minds to that of Christ so that we too can pick up
our crosses and follow him daily. Not
an easy thing to do, and so we take baby steps to learn to “let go and let God”
so we can learn to surrender ourselves to God’s Will in the face of our trials
and frustrations in life.
Finally, St. Paul gives us a dose of harsh reality,
apparently something he witnessed among the early followers of Jesus. Believe
it or not, some of those who called themselves Christians were, “…enemies of
the cross of Christ”. Wow! Right from the beginning, people were professing to
be followers of Jesus, when in fact they were living their old ways. Paul
recognized this duplicity and confronts it directly. He admonishes the
Philippians to, “join with others in
being imitators of me”. What a powerful invitation into the life of Christ
from a man who imitated Christ in every way. St. Paul is a model for us on our
Lenten Journey. He knows very well how to subdue the enemy within – by constant
prayer, fasting, and charitable works. Good activities to occupy us this Lenten
season as we too try to quell our own “enemies within”.
Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom
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