C Cycle – 18^th Sunday in Ordinary Time 25

Col. 3:1-5, 9-11

While I was still in my diaconate formation, someone who was studying theology at a Catholic University asked me who was my favorite theologian.   It was an obvious question to begin a discussion of deep theological concepts.  My answer startled the person because I said my favorite was Paul the Apostle.  Today’s second reading is one that each of us should spend some time mediating about.  Particularly when he tells us to put on the new self which is being renewed.  Paul is writing to the people who have embraced Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Whatever their faith was prior to embracing Jesus, it did not prepare them to understand how easily we can be deceived by our attachment to things which make us feel good about ourselves.

Paul knows how all the faith formation in his life did not prepare him for what faith demands of us.  One of those things is how adherence to teachings, practices and rituals can deceive us and restrict our growth. We cannot save ourselves; we need a savior for all of us fall short of what God desires of us.  Paul was formed in his faith well beyond a Ph.D.  level of formation.  Yet he was unable to bekueve Jesus was the Messiah. He was unable to comprehend what Jesus said, as authentically from God.  He totally changed after his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus.    

After his conversion experience, his education was not a hindrance to his embracing a new perspective.  Instead, all his education helped him become the voice preparing them to give God their hearts not their sacrifices.  Gentiles and Jews began to worship in a new enhanced way.  People began to understand how faith is not lived until we discover who God desires us to become.  Becoming a new creation happens when we discover like Aquinas how shackled we are by self determination.  Our faith is lived out daily, in every aspect of our lives and counter to what the world teaches us about and what brings us happiness.

  Paul tells us to put aside our passions, that part of us that is earthly.  He is not telling us to become monks or nuns living an ascetic life. He is telling us our passions are rooted in self and that self is always seeking to be satisfied.  Let me give you a personal example, my love of the game of golf.  I began playing in my mid-twenties and I must admit it was a challenging game.  But like all things in my life, I desired to be good at whatever I did and that included golf.  My dedication began to pay off as I competed in tournaments and lowered my handicap to ten.   My goal was to become a single digit golfer, but two years earlier I had an experience with God and began a faith journey that was changing my priorities.  

My ambition to succeed in my profession was tempered by my faith in God and my belief that He would guide me. My relationship with God guided my future, instead of me guiding myself. But I still wanted to be a single handicapper, until one day I had a conversion experience.  My game that day was six over par. But I felt like a failure in another aspect of my life.  My goal to be a single handicapper had me practicing, playing, and spending time away from them. I quit playing that day, bought a boat, water skies, fishing gear and spent every weekend on the water with my children.   Six years later when the children no longer wanted to be with dad, I picked up my clubs and played again.  My attitude had changed, I enjoyed the game, the people I played with and yes remained competitive but not worrying about the outcome. 

Put on the new self-created in Christ and keep our eyes focused on the things God desires of us instead of what we desire for ourselves.  We can be deceived by believing what we are doing spiritually is dying to self.  But if we remain in control of “holiness” we are in the same place Saul of Tarsus was when he was on that road to Damascus. Believing we are in right standing with God but never taking the time to examine if our faith is in God or in our own ability to follow the laws and commands of God.  That is hard to do when life has a way of beating us down.  We were never told life would be easy and without hardship.  In fact, God told us it would be the opposite.  It will be hard, painful and at times disappointing and lonely.

But we were also told that God would be with us, That God would give us strength for each day, and we would never b e abandoned.  Believing and living the gospel is demanded of us each day.  We can do that by allowing Christ and the Holy Spirit to be what we seek first before any other success. God told us He puts before us life and death and tells us to choose life by a simple act of surrender.  By acknowledging what Paul finally acknowledges. That all our learning did reason for the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. He died so that barrier of sin between us and God would be removed. We must appropriate that grace by allowing the Spirit to open our eyes as He did for Paul. h When we depend on the Spirit rather than ourselves we begin to walk by faith. When that happens, we will grasp the depth of God’s love demands a response of love in return.