Daily Retreat 09/11/07
2007 Sep 11 Tue
Col 2: 6-15/ Ps 144(145): 1b-2. 8-9. 10-11/ Lk 6: 12-19
From today’s readings: “As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted in Him and built upon Him and established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.... The Lord is compassionate toward all His works.... Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God....”
Living in Christ
On the practical level, sometimes nominal Christians reduce their faith to a mere philosophical system, as if by merely subscribing to a body of lofty ideas and ideals, one can be a good Christian. But this is simply not true. Although, just by studying and advocating Marxist thought, a person can indeed be a solid Marxist, even while taking issue with certain aspects of Karl Marx’s personal life, it is impossible to be a faithful Christian apart from a personal, loving relationship with Jesus Christ in person.
But there’s also more to Christianity than mere friendship and discipleship, for it is God’s will that His children not only follow His beloved Son Jesus, but that they also unite themselves with Him. St. Paul especially stresses that baptism is more than a mere initiation ritual of discipleship, for by the sacrament, we are incorporated into the Body of Christ, and so our destinies are cemented to His: “You were buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the power of God....”
And so, life in Christ is not just the old life spiced up with Christian philosophy, it’s not just the old life directed more or less in the general direction left by the footsteps of Christ - rather, life in Christ is a whole new life, a veritable share in the divine life of Christ Jesus! So, “as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted in Him and built upon Him and established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy according to the tradition of men, according to the elemental powers of the world and not according to Christ!”
Col 2: 6-15/ Ps 144(145): 1b-2. 8-9. 10-11/ Lk 6: 12-19
From today’s readings: “As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted in Him and built upon Him and established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.... The Lord is compassionate toward all His works.... Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God....”
Living in Christ
On the practical level, sometimes nominal Christians reduce their faith to a mere philosophical system, as if by merely subscribing to a body of lofty ideas and ideals, one can be a good Christian. But this is simply not true. Although, just by studying and advocating Marxist thought, a person can indeed be a solid Marxist, even while taking issue with certain aspects of Karl Marx’s personal life, it is impossible to be a faithful Christian apart from a personal, loving relationship with Jesus Christ in person.
But there’s also more to Christianity than mere friendship and discipleship, for it is God’s will that His children not only follow His beloved Son Jesus, but that they also unite themselves with Him. St. Paul especially stresses that baptism is more than a mere initiation ritual of discipleship, for by the sacrament, we are incorporated into the Body of Christ, and so our destinies are cemented to His: “You were buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the power of God....”
And so, life in Christ is not just the old life spiced up with Christian philosophy, it’s not just the old life directed more or less in the general direction left by the footsteps of Christ - rather, life in Christ is a whole new life, a veritable share in the divine life of Christ Jesus! So, “as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted in Him and built upon Him and established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy according to the tradition of men, according to the elemental powers of the world and not according to Christ!”
posted by FrPitstick | 9/10/2007
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