Communion With Love

A life in Christ is a life in communion: communion with love, truth, peace, kindness, faithfulness, mercy, forgiveness, and with one another. Jesus was sent to bring us all into the Father’s heart and to unite us in His love. He showed this over and over again by healing the sick who were often outcasts, restoring lepers seen as unclean, driving out demons that separated people from the community, reaching out to the sinners to give them back their dignity, and always bringing the little ones into the fold. These were all demonstrations of wanting us to live in harmony and peace with one another. Those cast aside, forgotten, ridiculed, judged, humiliated, regarded as less than, misunderstood, lowly, weak, etc. were Jesus’ main focus. He was constantly moving toward the sinner, the leper, the blind, the lame, the judged, and the sick, because he knew they were on outside and his mission was and is to bring them in. How does he still bring them in? Through us, his hands and feet here on earth. He tells us, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him.” Even though I never watch the news anymore, I’m pretty sure that our kingdom is currently divided. How can we restore unity? We cannot, but God can and so we need to release God into the world. How? We take our cues from Jesus constantly moving toward the marginalized and blessing them rather than cursing them. We cooperate with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us to love everybody always. We invite God into every single interaction we have with others and allow Him to do the loving, the saving, the delivering, the healing, the mercy, the forgiving, and the blessing. 

A life in Christ is a life in communion; a life not in Christ is divided. Jealousy, envy, pride, prejudice, and arrogance are all ways the enemy uses to separate us from one another. Let’s be extra diligent in guarding our souls against these things. The same Spirit that came upon the Apostles at Pentecost lives and dwells within each of us, and that is the Spirit that longs for us to be united in God’s love. We get to work with that Spirit or against that Spirit. And based on the warning given at the end of today’s gospel, I only want to work with the Holy Spirit. As we go about our day, perhaps we can imagine living in the center of the perfect unity of the Holy Trinity, where the love between the Father and the Son releases the Spirit of unconditional love and mercy to everyone. It is well with my soul. 

Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 317

Reading 1 HEB 9:15, 24-28

Christ is mediator of a new covenant:
since a death has taken place 
for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant, 
those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.

For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, 
a copy of the true one, but heaven itself, 
that he might now appear before God on our behalf.
Not that he might offer himself repeatedly, 
as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary 
with blood that is not his own; 
if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly 
from the foundation of the world.
But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages 
to take away sin by his sacrifice.
Just as it is appointed that human beings die once, 
and after this the judgment, so also Christ,
offered once to take away the sins of many, 
will appear a second time, not to take away sin 
but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

Responsorial Psalm PS 98:1, 2-3AB, 3CD-4, 5-6

R. (1a)  Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.

Reading 2 SEE 2 TM 1:10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MK 3:22-30

The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus, 
"He is possessed by Beelzebul," and
"By the prince of demons he drives out demons."

Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, 
"How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself, 
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, 
he cannot stand; 
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property 
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder his house.  
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies 
that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit 
will never have forgiveness, 
but is guilty of an everlasting sin."

For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."