Thursday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
(I Peter 2:2-5.9-12; Mark 10:46-52)
The other day the newspaper reported on a family with
combined income of $500,000 a year. The
feature of the story was that the family considered themselves “middle class”
struggling to make ends meet. Imagine
that: earning a half million dollars a year and thinking you are just like
anyone else! Some people of privilege cannot
think of themselves as special. This seems
to be the state of mind of the those whom the Letter of Peter addresses in
today’s first reading.
The author of the letter reminds the people of how fortunate
they are. He tells them that they are
privileged to be called by Christ and accepted into his Church. Now their lives, cleansed from sin by
Baptism, give praise to God. They should
see themselves as the building stones of a magnificent cathedral revealing the glory
of Christ and the saints.
We enjoy the same special status as the early
Christians. We too have been called to
stand out as people renewed by Christ’s teachings and the Holy Spirit. It is important to remember why we are privileged. The Lord has gifted us not so much for our
sake but for his mission. We are chosen in
order to model for others God’s justice.
The half million dollar calling must not be squandered but put to good
use.
