Let the peace of Christ control your hearts; let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
Col 13: 15a, 16a
My Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
In His homily on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, our Holy Father said, “God provokes us to live with others and for others.” He continued, “The Triune God, dear brothers and sisters, must be manifested in this way – with deeds rather than words. God, who is the author of life, is transmitted not so much through books as through witness of life. He who, as the evangelist John writes, “is love”, reveals Himself through love.”
By virtue of our Baptism, we are a dwelling place of God. We bring God forth by who we are. This is what God asks of us—and what Jesus showed us—how to live as His dwelling place. We are called to live in God’s image, to know that we are made by God for God. There is a deep sense of dignity in this knowledge and this dignity through, with and in God is the core, the breath of our being.
On June 24, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a landmark ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The decision by our nation’s highest court allows states to protect women and their children from abortion through all stages of pregnancy. The ruling was within the marketplace arena, and we pray its effect will begin to save lives.
Yet, you and I must continue to bring God forth through our daily living. For we know that the number of people who think killing an unborn child is acceptable did not change with this ruling. We must continue to live as each life is of God and to speak God’s Word to one another. We must forgive those whose eyes cannot see God’s goodness in the call to life and hold them with compassion as they grieve their own shortcomings in God’s eyes. We must care for mothers and fathers and their children if they falter. We must learn the spirit of intercession and service, which Jesus prescribes to all His disciples. There is no trace of limitation in Jesus’ words and gestures. It is God’s grace when the service of His love yields His tenderness.
God implores us, too, to keep our zeal for life within the zeal of His goodness. Our Lord’s zeal appeared principally in His death on the Cross to destroy death and the sins of the whole human family. In that act, He offered us complete forgiveness and eternal life. He made John and James understand that His spirit and His zeal are gentle, mild, and gracious. He made use of indignation or wrath very rarely when he had no further hope of being able to help in any other way. This is what St. Paul tells the Colossians. Let the Peace of Christ, the forgiveness of Christ, control our hearts. Always let God be within our sight.
Let us continue to zealously speak the Gospel of Life by our daily living. Then as each person is a dwelling place of God, nourished around the Eucharistic table, our world will beat Christ’s heart of Peace and His Word will truly dwell within each one.