Every Sunday, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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Let me focus on the Second Reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. It is rich in its content.
St. Paul tells us that God chose us before the foundations of the world. That is a bold statement. But it rings true for us. God knew us before we were formed in our mother’s womb. And he has called us for something very special. He has chosen us to be holy and blameless in his sight.
Think about that for a moment. You have been called to a holiness of life. Me too!
Holiness is more than piously folding our hands in church or making a perfect genuflection before the Blessed Sacrament. Holiness comes from inside of us. It involves an attitude of total love toward God and neighbor.
Several years ago, Pope Francis wrote a document titled, “Rejoice and be Glad: On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World.” He made it clear that every human is called to a higher life with God and a closer life to one’s neighbor. Holiness is aimed at becoming saints. Pope Francis said, “Holiness is the most attractive face of the Church.”
Pope Francis wrote, “I like to contemplate the holiness present in the patience of God’s people: in those parents who raise their children with immense love, in those men and women who work hard to support their families, in the sick, in elderly religious who never lose their smile. In their daily perseverance I see the holiness of the Church militant. Very often it is a holiness found in our next-door neighbors, those who, living in our midst, reflect God’s presence.”
Now, why should we be holy? There are many reasons. First, we are made in God’s image and God is holy. So, holiness consists in being, as Matthew Kelly says, “the best version of ourselves.” We should also want to be holy because God has made us his sons and daughters. We do not belong to ourselves (contrary to much popular opinion). We belong to God who has adopted us. Holiness consists in living our lives for God.
And what about those times when we have gone astray and disobeyed our Heavenly Father — and been less-than-holy? St. Paul says it well, “In (Jesus) we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he has lavished upon us.”
And that grace is enough to get us through another week — and for the journey of our lifetime that we make toward the Kingdom.
Yes, we often move haltingly forward in this search for holiness, we stumble backward in sin, and Jesus picks us up when we cry for help. We might not yet be perfect, but we are still chosen — and God will not give up on us until we are perfect — until we are made saints by the perfect love that we have found in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Have a blessed week everyone.