Tuesday the 2nd Week of Easter
Acts 4:32-37 Psalm 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5, Jn 3:7b-15
Acts 4:32-37 Psalm 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5, Jn 3:7b-15
Who is the Church?
The Church is the community founded by Christ with the mission to show humanity how to live reconciled with one another through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Let us break that apart a little bit.
The Church is a community founded by Christ
During Easter the Church reflects on her birth from the side of Christ as he hung upon the cross in the sleep of death. Just as Adam was put into a deep sleep so that Eve could be born from him, Christ was put into a deep sleep so that Holy Mother Church could spring from Him when His side was pierced by the soldiers lance – and blood and water flowed forth.
We’re on a Mission from God
The Church has a mission – We don’t meet in order to plan meetings we do not exist so that we can continue to exist. The Church has a mission, a very important purpose in the world - To show humanity how to be reconciled to one another through Christ by the Power of the Holy Spirit.
How can we be reconciled through Christ?
Our community is founded on the Sacrament of Baptism – which we hear a little about in today’s Gospel. We call one another Brother and Sister because we have been born anew in Baptism through Water and the Holy Spirit – We become Brothers and Sisters because we are all united to Christ. The mission of the Church calls us to become reconciled to one another by allowing Christ to be at the center of our relationship. When we do this we invite His presence into our relationships as the source of healing, wholeness and communion.
Two Practical Ways that we can do this
In Marriage
In sacramental marriage Christ expresses His love to me in a unique way through my spouse. Christ also calls me to express His love to my spouse by unconditional love and service to her. In marriage we can strive to begin each day with this thought about what our vocation is, and how we are to love our beloved – As Christ loved the Church, or as the Church loves Christ..
In Baptism
In Baptism we are united to Christ through His Death and Resurrection that destroys sin. Christ conquers Sin and Death so that we can live free of their evil effects. When we are reconciled through Christ we allow our Baptism to take root in our lives; we allow ourselves to be healed of division and that we give thanks to God for His transforming grace in our lives. This means that we recognize that the greatest stumbling block in our relationship to one another is our own sin, and not the sin of our Brothers or Sisters.
The Holy Spirit moves where he wills!
Ask the Holy Spirit – who moves according to the will of the Father to point out to you one relationship of your life that is in need of the light of Christ, so that you can be reconciled by the Holy Spirit.
[PAUSE]
Dear Holy Mother Church
You are the community founded by Christ with the mission to show humanity how to live reconciled with one another through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit
[PAUSE]
May your Savior guide you in carrying out your mission today!
