Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost. Forefeast of the Entrance of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple; Blessed Josaphata Hordashevska, First Superior of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate (+1919); Our Venerable Father Gregory of Decapolis (842); Our Holy Father Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople (446)
Ephesians 2:14-22; Luke 8:41-56
Read Ephesians 2:14-22
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
There is nothing inherently wrong with being a “stranger” or a “sojourner”; it is just a fact. When someone else has already created a relationship with a people and we come into it from the outside, of course we will be strangers at first and newcomers if we decide to stay. No one likes to feel like a second-class citizen; human nature being what it is, unfortunately, even in relationships that do have a place for outsiders or newcomers, people can be made to feel that way.
When Jesus Christ forcefully cleared the temple, quoting Isaiah 56:7, He said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations.” (Mark 11:17). The part of the temple Jesus cleared was the outer Court of the Gentiles, accessible to ritually impure Jews and Gentiles. He was saying that God’s intention in creating a relationship with the tribes of Israel was to reveal himself and have a relationship with the whole world.
The center of today’s reading (verse 18) assures us of this reality in our day: we both (Jews and Gentiles) have access, through the Son, in one Spirit, to the Father. The danger for us now is that the shoe is on the other foot. If we are not careful, we can slip into making the mistake of leaving no room for welcoming others toward the relationship with God through Jesus Christ that God has called us to.
The first word of today’s reading is, “For,” in the sense of “because”. Because of what? Well, the verse immediately preceding says, “Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ.” Consider today how you may help and not hinder bringing others near to God through Christ.