Reflection on Readings - Sunday, June 28th

I wrote this for our parish bulletin for this weekend. Hope you enjoy it!

This weekend we conclude the year of St. Paul as designated by our Holy Father last June. I am reminded of many things I have learned in the past year about Paul’s life, writings, and especially his faith. Paul believed, above all, that all of us are holy because we are created by God in His image. In all our faults, failings, gifts, talents, and successes, we are holy. Our second reading today, from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, can only be understood if we know that Paul believes we are holy. As he writes the letter to the Corinthians, he is writing this letter to us today as well.

Paul calls us to excel in FAITH. Our faith is a gift from God, not something we earn or work for. We can only excel in faith if God has first made us holy to accept the gift of faith.

Paul calls us to excel in DISCOURSE. He wants us to explore the understanding of our holiness with one another by discussing it within our communities of faith.

Paul calls us to excel in KNOWLEDGE. Paul is asking us to always learn more about the holiness that has been given to us by God. We should always seek out ways to better understand our faith.

Paul calls us to excel in ALL EARNESTNESS. We should take seriously our holiness. We should recognize the importance of what it means to be holy and recognize our importance in the world because of this gift of holiness.

Paul calls us to excel in LOVE. If our holiness does not lead us to love, what does it mean? Paul always comes back to the commandment from Christ to love one another, and he is still reminding us today how important this commandment is.

Finally, Paul calls us to excel in GRACIOUS ACTS. The holiness each of us has been given from God is completely unique. Our holiness gives us gifts and talents that only we can use to participate and share God’s plan with the world. We have each been given an abundance in some aspect of your life, and Paul calls us to share that abundance with others.

What can you do this week to discover how you excel in each of these areas? Or what do you need to do to excel? What gracious act can you share with a friend, family member, our parish community, or our civic community to show how God has blessed you with holiness?