Wednesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
(Colossians 1: 1-8; Luke 4:38-44)
When a President is leaving office, political commentators often reflect on his legacy. In others words, they speculate on how the President hopes to be remembered in history. They said, for example, that Bill Clinton wanted to be remembered for bringing peace to Israel-Palestine, which he almost managed to achieve. No doubt, many individuals today take up the concern for legacy. Some want to be remembered for their philanthropy; others, for their stylish fashions; and others, perhaps for their independent nature.
By contrast to the contemporary preoccupation for legacy, the first reading today notes how the Christians of Colossae are concerned about destiny. The writer, who is probably a disciple of Paul, remarks that the love these Christians have for others springs from their hope of heaven. Typical of Pauline epistles, the reading actually focuses on the three so-called theological virtues. It indicates that faith in Jesus as Lord induces Christians to imitate his love for others and to hope for the resurrection into the eternal glory that he experienced. Faith, hope, and love then lead us to God, which is why they are called theological. They form a solid structure which, like R. Buckminster Fuller’s amazing geodesic dome, becomes stronger the more times these basic elements are multiplied.
