image credit:Ann Chapin (used with permission). Check out her gallery at: http://www.faceofchrist.
From Wednesday two days ago through next week Thursday, the
weekday readings are taken from St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Because I used the proper readings for St.
Gregory yesterday, and will use them for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin on
Tuesday, you won’t be able to hear Colossians in its entirety, so I encourage
you to sit down and read all of this magnificent letter in one sitting. It’d be the best 20 minutes you spend outside
of Mass this week.
The town of Colossae was part of a cluster of three towns—Laodicea,
Hierapolis and Colossae—in the Phrygian region of the Roman province of Asia,
in the southwestern corner of modern day Turkey. Christianity had been brought their, not by
Paul, but a person named Epaphras, who Paul mentions in the opening of the
letter. Paul had not yet visited, Colossae,
either, but he had heard some disturbing news that their faith was being
threatened by an “empty, seductive philosophy” going around town. We don’t know the nature of this error, but
it was threatening enough for Paul to write this letter.
We heard today, from what scholars call the jewel of the
letter, 5 verses comprising a hymn, in which is sung the glory of Christ as image
of the Father, firstborn of all creation, through him and for him all things
were made, he is head of the body, the Church, through him all things are
reconciled.
Perhaps the errant philosophy denied
the theological truths contained in this hymn, and Paul offered this hymn as a mini-Creed
about Christ.
Like all the books of the Bible, Colossians is not only a
letter written to people long ago in a far away land, but also a letter from
God to Christians today. The Catechism
states: “In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to
meet his children, and talks with them.”
God is at work to move our hearts away from the empty, seductive
philosophies of our age, through an intimacy and knowledge of Jesus Christ, not
how the media treats him, but the true Christ, head of the Church. For the spiritually hungry, for the spiritual
seeker, there is no need to look anywhere else.
The fullness of wisdom and life comes from entering more deeply into the
riches and glory of His majesty.
Becoming seduced by empty worldly philosophies is such an
old story, yet one that leads to spiritual enslavement. Paul stresses the newness of Christ, the
preeminence of Christ. Our culture sees
the Christian message as outdated and empty. So in order to prove to
unbelievers that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, we need to be
filled with Him, brimming with Him, radiating Him, and that means allowing Him
to recreate us ever a new, through prayer, through works of Charity, for the
glory of God and salvation of souls.
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