God called us to transform the world BACK to what it was before Adam & Eve sinned. We cannot do that without the sanctifying Grace of Christ. But Paul gives us a great clue to understanding how: “… so that the word of the Lord may speed forward and be glorified, as it did among you…” We glorify God by living His holiness and grace that Jesus obtained by His Cross. That is why Paul says at the end of our reading this weekend: “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ.” Or, to paraphrase Paul in another place, our endurance of the trials of this life help to “make up for what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ” – this doesn’t mean that Christ’s sufferings were deficient in ANY way, but that we are called to finish bringing the Kingdom of God to fulfillment, that Jesus brought to earth by His death. Our lives, in Christ, are bringing the Kingdom of our God and His Christ to completion by our living His Holiness! …read more
Source:: Fr. Frank Jindra’s Homily Podcasts
