10th Thursday in Ordinary Time
2 Corinthians 3:15-4:1, 3-6; Matthew 5: 20-26
To every believer is given the grace to proclaim the Word of God clearly and understandably. Each of us is given the gift to exercise great patience and love. Recall these words of the Apostle to the Gentiles: “Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Eph. 4:15). It is in Him that we live and move and have our being and it is from Him that we receive every good gift. From Him we receive the ability to announce the Good News of Salvation. The Good News is not merely head knowledge nor is it a recital of the articles of faith from the Catechism. The proclamation of the Good News takes place in a heart to heart conversation wherein two human beings encounter each other in truth. The evangelist Luke described such an encounter: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Lk. 24:32).
There is a fullness in Christ and in His Word. That fullness overflows and is shared with every person who is capable of receiving the implanted Word and is willing to allow it to take root in his or her heart. That which is sown in the human heart is intended to produce a rich harvest to the glory of God. Recall these words of Saint Paul: “All of us, with unveiled faces, reflecting like polished mirrors the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same likeness, from glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18). In the fullness of that light, others will come to know the joy of life in Christ. The Light of Christ shining on the face of the believer causes the hymn of praise to echo in each individual’s heart and draws more and more individuals into the glory that Christ shares at the right hand of the Father.
This is how we attract others to the Cross of Christ. Those who have found and enjoyed communion with Christ cannot help but share that joy and peace with others. Following in the footsteps of the Master, we, like Him, become Bread blessed and broken for the salvation of the world. Breaking open the Scriptures, we share the Word that dwells in our hearts and bring others to the heart of Christ that is burning with love for the Father and all that the Father loves. Wrapped in the embrace of divine love, each individual is set free to run the way of God’s commandments. Having found the Light, they behold the glory of the Lord and reflect it in their lives. This encounter with God means that each individual becomes open to the community of grace and the bond of unity in the Body of Christ.
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