THE PRIVILEGE AND POWER OF A CHRISTIAN

WEDNESDAY, TWENTY NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Eph 3:2-12; Isa 12; Lk 12:39-48

Incomprehensibility of God’s Wisdom in Christ

The spiritual riches God revealed to us in Jesus Christ are so vast and comprehensive that Paul considered himself fortunate above anybody with any other wealth. These riches belong to Jews and Gentiles alike, and their revelation empties any advantage the Jews had above the Gentiles. “If you read my word you will have some idea of the depths that I see in the mystery of Christ. This that has now been revealed through the Holy Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets was unknown to any men in past generations.” The greatness of this mystery is such that Paul’s main basis of boasting is this general revelation and not the specific ones given to the Jews. What is contained in Christ was not known to any man before Christ. Though he boasts once in a while about being a Jew, it is always to discredit those who pretend to put themselves and their physical descent before the Gentile converts to gain their admiration. Paul’s only basis for boasting is the privilege he received in Jesus Christ and his knowledge of the mysteries therein.  

The same revelation Paul boasted about and gave all his being to understand and proclaim to the Gentiles is what we have received. Its content has not diminished; it is handed to us as it was to Paul. What prevents us from rejoicing in the fullness of the revelation of God’s riches in Jesus Christ? Paul's joy and pride are evident in these words. “I have been made the servant of that gospel by a gift of grace from God who gave it to me by his own power. I, who am less than the least of all the saints have been entrusted with this special grace, not only of proclaiming to the pagans the infinite treasure of Christ but also of explaining how the mystery is to be dispensed.” Information, we usually say, is power. Paul understood how powerful the position the Gospel privilege of knowing Jesus Christ made him, and God made him the one to proclaim these hidden mysteries of God to the Gentiles. The knowledge of Jesus Christ and the mystery of God’s riches hidden in him placed Paul above the Sovereignties and Powers, who learned of these mysteries through the Church of God. God gives us the same privilege and power when we believe in Jesus Christ. But the knowledge of the mysteries of Jesus Christ is not a given, it requires a journey into Jesus Christ, which would demand everything we have in this material realm.

To understand our vocation as stewards of these mysteries of heaven, we must be attentive to what the Holy Spirit teaches us about Christ. His teaching comes in various guises. From the deep wells of salvation that Jesus Christ is, he helps us draw the water of heavenly life. The challenge for us is to pay the required attention to him in prayer. The prayer we talk about here is not just that of fixed time and place but a continuous awareness of the presence of God. The acquisition of this continuous attentiveness is grace given to those who ask, who search and knock. We are to attend to the word of God and await the coming of the Lord. We must keep our households constituted by our minds and hearts and be awake to open for the Lord when he comes. “What sort of steward, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at his employment. I tell you truly, he will place him over everything he owns.” To keep the household of the Lord, we must be proficient in keeping our household intact for the Lord to enter. We must guard our interior and make it pleasing to the Lord. To accomplish this in our social media era, we must spend more time in the interior with the Holy Spirit, who reveals the word of God to us. A great deal has been entrusted to our care as Paul has made us understand. We must make every effort to know these mysteries committed to us in Christ for our salvation.

Let us pray: Grant us, Lord, the grace to extricate ourselves from the flood water of decay and corruption awash in the world, that meditating on your word daily, and listening to the Holy Spirit, we may joyfully draw the water of heavenly life and knowledge from the well of salvation that is Jesus Christ.