Consecrated in the Truth
One of the most important things we must do as followers of Christ is to find the evidence of God in the little things in life. We may dedicate much of our time to going to Mass, spending time in adoration, or learning about our faith, but we also live in the world, and it is our responsibility to find ways in which we can bring the world to recognize the omnipresence of God. God does not confine Himself to the walls of a church. He does not limit His activity to holy places or in the presence of holy people. He can be found reflected in every piece of His creation, from the grandest cathedrals to the smallest flowers. He could be found in the world before Christ and even outside of the nation of Israel. However, it required His chosen people to share their knowledge of God to the world in order for others to start recognizing Him.
Today’s gospel reveals a beautiful moment in which Jesus is praying to his Heavenly Father. Jesus says these profound words about his followers: “As you sent me into the world, so I send them into the world.” This became the modus operandi of the Christian life - just as Christ was sent to us by God, we can share Christ by going out into the world. This requires us to not limit ourselves to the faith communities in which we are comfortable; we must be willing to go out to those places where God is not easily found because no one has yet bothered to look. Once we do, however, we will begin to see that God really is omnipresent and has been with all people in every age even when they did not acknowledge Him. There is no better example of this, especially in the age of the early Church, than in those areas of the world that were influenced by Greek culture, particularly philosophy. The most well-known figures of this culture, like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, could understand the truth about the world around them in ways no one had been able to before; still, there was something missing about their philosophy. Once those followers of Christ were sent out into the world to convert and evangelize, the disciples went to those areas of their society where they could find large crowds, many of whom were philosophers. Those who were deeply knowledgeable about the works of certain philosophers like Socrates and Plato found in Christianity the fullness of their philosophical thought. Finally, their rationality was given context and meaning in the person of Christ.
The union of Greek philosophy and the teachings of Christ revolutionized how human beings thought, and it transformed the world, consecrating us in the age of the resurrection with the Truth. Eventually, Catholic Theology became more than just recounting the life of Christ and serving your neighbor; now it could be argued, understood, and rationalized through the language and the logic of the Greek philosophers. The philosophers mentioned above lived before Christ and knew hardly anything of the Jewish God. But even they could recognize the dignity of the human person, divine perfection, objective morality, and humanity’s reflection of God. For the first time in the history of humanity, foundational principles that built up entire societies and civilizations were based on the understanding that each human was made in the image and likeness of God. With this union between the intellect and the will, we should now go out into the world and teach that God has already planted Himself firmly in our presence. Once we understand it in the context of Christ and his Church, we finally begin our journey towards knowing God.
Today's Readings:
