One of the beautiful things about how the Church, inspired by the Holy Spirit, has organized the scriptures for the Mass is that the readings and the Psalm often have an obvious connection. A single message. Today, Paul and Jesus seem to be talking about opposite things, but it’s the same message.
Paul tells the Thessalonians that he was genuine in his words and actions when he lived and worked around them. Paul says he was “devout and blameless” and treated them as a father would his own children. Not just encouraging and exhorting, though a good parent does that, but also insisting that the Thessalonians “walk in a manner worthy of God.” Then we see Jesus condemning the Pharisees by calling them whitewashed tombs. A tomb painted white seems beautiful and pristine, glistening in the sun. Inside though, are death and decay.
These readings remind us that how we live our faith reveals to others what we truly believe about it. Authenticity. Having all the answers isn’t enough. Memorizing the catechism is great, and we should encourage that. What the Holy Spirit reminds us this morning is that people will see through fancy words and statements. They see who we are, based not on how we phrase our words but on whether or not we “walk in a manner worthy of God.”
How we live out our lives and treat fellow believers can either draw people to the Gospel or push them away. What people see transpiring in our parishes, in our Catholic homes, in our workplaces, and in our leisure time can strengthen the Gospel message as it did in Thessalonica or hide its value, making people see us as pretending to be something we aren’t. So our challenge today is to ask ourselves: does our life reflect the belief of the Church? Are we the same person at Mass as we are at work, on the farm, at a restaurant or bar, and at home? Or do we whitewash the outside while living the inside filled with filth?
Our faith is about changing the inside, conforming the heart to the love of God, and molding our lives to His Sacramental presence through the Church. Saint Catherine of Sienna once said: “Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire.” That’s kind of the difference between being authentic and being a tomb… the spark of life, the light of Christ.
Just ponder for a moment this: at communion, we Catholics believe that the source of existence itself, God; body, blood, soul, and divinity comes into our mouths in that Sacred Host. The energy of one cell creates an atomic explosion. The simple winds of the earth’s movement uproot the trees and move the oceans. The gravitational forces of the universe cause planets to move and galaxies to form and cease to exist. All of this pales in comparison to the energy which God Himself contains. That’s who is inside you after you have worthily received the Eucharist. All of the light of the universe condensed in a ray of pure love that should flood our hearts, make our faces glow with ecstasy, and our eyes light up with the joy of knowing God loves us that much. People should see that in us. The question Jesus and Paul say to us today is simply: can they?
A reflection on the readings for Wednesday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time: August 25, 2021