One in Christ

“So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”  (Ephesians 2:19-22)

In RCIA we are learning about the authority of the Church and how Christ is the capstone. We delved into scripture to see how upon Peter, the rock, Christ’s church was built. This isn’t just a theory or something that Catholics say is true, it is the Truth. We see in scripture that Jesus specifically tells Peter, “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” (Matthew 16:18) And prior to his ascension, he tells them to, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19) The Catholic Church has continued to grow because it is through Christ that “the whole structure is held together and grows.” The Catholic Church is the only one that has stood the test of time. Every one of the over 33,000 Protestant denominations can trace their roots back to the Catholic Church. Every Christian was Catholic, even Martin Luther, who rejected the teaching of the Church and started his own church, before the Protestant Revolt.

Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever. The Truth does not change with the times, it doesn’t conform to what man thinks is best. It doesn’t change its definition of marriage or its values to accommodate the desires of man in all his brokenness. We are called to live as Christ lived and this is a struggle. There are so many forces out there trying to pull or push us from the Truth. And there are also the sinful tugs from our own heart that tempt us to quench these desires with things of this world. Christ knows how hard it is because he himself endured all these things and so he gives us the grace that is needed to withstand all of these things. In today’s gospel we are urged to be vigilant at all times. To “gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.” (Luke 12:35-36) He is coming again, as he promised, and he hopes to find us ready. The gospel also tells us that for those who the master finds vigilant on his arrival, “he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.” (12:37) Jesus Christ will serve those who he finds ready; he wants to wait on us, his good and faithful servants!