On the road to holiness

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary speak to us in several ways. The appeal of the psalmist that we bring justice and rescue to the lowly ones is a theme which is linked to the text from the Book of Wisdom. FriarJude Winkler comments reminds us that those who have gifts from God, like power and authority, are also responsible to use those gifts to advance the Will of God. Friar Jude suggests, in harmony with the author of Wisdom, that those who have more gifts, like authority, power, the Law, the Covenant, the Eucharist are more accountable to God than those who are not so gifted. The observance of life seeking holiness, communion with the Divine, will take us closer to fulfillment of our mission. For they will be made holy who observe holy things in holiness (Wisdom 6.10). The Gospel from Luke builds on the theme of gratitude for our gifts and Friar Jude suggests that we pause to consider our diary of gratitude for the gifts from God. Cindy Murphy McMahon of CreightonUniversity prays to be more like the Samaritan, who sees the healing and turns to Jesus in a profound decision to change direction, be thankful and move to conversion. The recognition of those events in life which are calling us to conversion is not as common as it would be if we could pause to consider the healing events of each day. The Gospel of Luke is directing us to continue to journey with Jesus to Jerusalem. On the way to the Holy City, the nine Jewish lepers experience healing. John Davies uses the theme of journeying in places which society has considered dangerous and with people who have been marked as unclean as the path which will reset our understanding of the truth about the marginalized to whom we are called to bring the justice and rescue praised by the psalmist. Jesus leads us to holiness in the city where He will give the witness to complete, total and unconditional Love.