Monday, June 18, 2007...Ordinary time, C, 11th week

Scripture: II Cor.6:1-10. Psalm 98. Matt. 5:38-42. Lectionary # 365: Paul's commitment to Jesus Christ has been a remarkable one. Today we read of his great sufferings and trials because of his witness to the Gospel of Jesus. In reviewing all of these harrowing experiences, we see that he lived out the challenging words of Jesus given in the Sermon on the Mount--not only the beatitudes, but also the difficult sayings of Jesus are only understood by Paul and actually lived out. Paul did more than just turn the other cheek to those who persecuted him. He suffered beatings, imprisonments, shipwrecks, hunger and thirst and many more hardships than he enumerates in this epistle. He is not boasting about these ordeals, his boast is only in the Lord with whom he identifies himself. He keeps telling us that for him to live is Christ; in Christ we have our being; and only by faith in Christ is he saved. He encourages us to receive the graces of God this day and not to pull away from our won total reponse to what God wants of us. This is the acceptable time; this is the time of our salvation. We need to seize the opportunity; we need to live out the Latin maxim, CARPE DIEM...seize the day, take advantage of the graces offered now; do not miss the occasion of being united with Christ as Paul was. By imitating Paul in our sufferings we can make progress in our own spiritual journeys toward union with Jesus. Have no doubts about it, the challenges of Jesus and the example of Paul in his sufferings are very difficult to accept but they are the graces and opportunities for responding to the words of Jesus and to do whatever he wants of us. Perhaps, the positive approach of reaching out to others generously and unselfishly is the way we accept these graces. Yes, Carpe Diem. Amen. Alleulia.