32nd Wednesday in Ordinary Time
Titus 3:1-7; Luke 17: 11-19
Each of us is called to be a bearer of Good News to a world deafened by bad news. In a world that thrives on judgement and condemnation, we are to speak a word of affirmation and forgiveness. In a world ripped apart by misery and hatred, we are to be instruments of reconciliation and love. We who have been delivered from the misery of the world by the mercy of God are to proclaim the Good News of Salvation to all we meet.
God so loved the world that he sent his only-begotten son into the world as our redeemer. After He accomplished His task, the Son ascended to His place at the right hand of the Father. Together they sent forth the Holy Spirit to carry on the saving work of the Son by teaching, guiding and recreating the Body of Christ on earth. The Holy Spirit has the power to change and turn the human heart to God, it is the bond of love and the seal of unity in the Blessed Trinity. Overshadowed by the Spirit, we are made one in the Body of Christ. The purity, peace and mercy shown in our actions are the fruits of the Spirit abiding in us.
Only in God does our soul find its rest (CF. Ps. 62). Only in God do we come to know Love’s embrace. And there, we encounter community, solidarity and dialogue. There we find the true explanation of ourselves. This knowledge will excite in us a spirit of constant prayer and thanksgiving – a never-ending Eucharist. Transformed by the Spirit, we become the hands and feet of Christ in the world, his voice and eyes and heart for others. As members of the Body of Christ, we are called to witness the love of God in every circumstance. God is not indifferent to the sufferings of the world, nor is He distant from those who wander in the valley of darkness and death.
Each of us is called to be an instrument of peace to people who are marginalized and outcast. We are to speak a word of comfort and reconciliation to those who need it most, even if they don’t know it. To the poor and powerless, the lepers of our day, we are called to be the hands, eyes, heart and voice of Christ. Having been made in the image of Him who is the image of the invisible God, we are called to “seek those that are lost, bring back those that have strayed, bandage those that are injured and strengthen those that are sick” (Ezek. 34:16).
Knowing that we have been loved by the beloved Son, we can assure others that they are not abandoned. Having been drawn close to the heart of the Father, we can assure those who have been victims of hostility and contempt that God desires to have an intimate heart-to-heart relationship with each of them. God the Father desires to use us as living and credible signs of His love. Living in communion with the Persons of the Blessed Trinity, we will build a society founded on charity, solidarity and peace.
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