A CHRISTIAN IS NOT OF THIS WORLD

 

SATURDAY, Fifth Week of Eastertide

Reflection by Friar Nicholas Okeke, OP

Acts 16:1-10; Ps 100:1-3,5; Jn 15:18-21

A Christian is not of the World

The word of God is the bread from heaven that gives life to the world. Because Jesus Christ is the Eternal Word of God, he is the bread from heaven. On this basis, we have posited that faith brings about our union with Jesus Christ. The more we believe the word of God and the more the word fills our consciousness, the more we are united with Jesus Christ. Two things are necessary to achieve our union with Jesus Christ and the Father. The first is the study of the word of God daily. The second is to ruminate on the word of God or the life of Jesus Christ. These two activities gradually bring about an effective union of a soul with Jesus Christ. As this union is growing, we experience more and more what the Lord talked about in the gospel of today; namely, our estrangement from the world and its ways. “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me before you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you do not belong to the world, because my choice withdrew you from the world, therefore the world hates you.” The world hates us because we start living the life of Christ when we do the above activities.

Consider the activities we have listed above and see that they characterised the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Because these activities of reading the word of God and meditating upon it define who she is, she is called the mother of the living. We enter into her mould whenever we take up the two activities; we are born of her if our life flows subsequently from what we read and meditate on. This is a Christian’s union in grace with the Virgin Mary. The master is born of her in the order of nature; since we cannot be born of her in the order of nature, we are enabled by the choice of the master to be born of her in the order of grace. “Remember the words I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they kept my word, they will keep yours as well.” The word of Jesus and our word coincide, for it is the same word of God we keep in our hearts as did the Blessed Mother. In this manner, we are united in grace with the Mother of our Lord. 

The indwelling of the word of God fosters the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, for the word of God is Spirit and life. So, the activities we outlined above are also the format of life in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is regarded happily as the divine Spouse of the Blessed Mother. Those who are united with her in grace are also animated with the Holy Spirit, just as we read of Paul in the first reading on his missionary journey directed by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit directed them on what to do in every situation. The circumcision of Timothy, the decision to move to another town, which town to enter and not to enter, etc. “When they reached the frontier of Mysia they thought to cross it into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them, they went through Mysia and came down to Troas.” While there, Paul dreamt of a Macedonian calling out to them for help, which they understood as God instructing them to go and evangelize the people. Our union with Mary in grace could be realised unconsciously, just as the baby in the womb is unconsciously conscious of the mother. A Christian may be unconscious of his union with Mary, yet he is united in his spirit with her in grace. But the consciousness of the union makes it more effective and re-enforces the union with Jesus in faith. 

Let us pray: Grant us, Lord, the grace to eat of your word every day, that we may be firmly united with your Son Jesus Christ and attain abundance of grace as we model our life on that of your handmaid Mary our mother. 

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