A Penitent Blogger

Mindful of my imperfections, seeking to know Truth more deeply and to live Love more fully.

Quid sum miser tunc dicturus? Quem patronum rogaturus? Cum vix iustus sit securus?
Recordare, Iesu pie, Quod sum causa tuae viae: Ne me perdas illa die...

Sunday, January 27, 2008

This is the one

This is an historic moment.

This is the person we have been waiting for: the person who will lead us out of the troubles of the past into a future full of hope.

This is the person who will change our lives.

All we need to do is make the choice: this Tuesday in Florida...

...or February 5th in many other states...

or today, no matter where you are…

…you and I can make the choice to make Jesus Christ more and more the center of our lives.

Well, yes, of course, we might protest, Christ is indeed the center of our lives.

But is he really?

In today’s first reading (1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17), members of the Church in Corinth, in the very first generation of Christianity, have already splintered into factions, each focusing upon different charismatic leaders.

“I belong to Paul,” or
“I belong to Apollos,” or
“I belong to Cephas,” or...

This phenomenon has continued in some ways throughout history even to the present day.

It should be noted that there is nothing intrinsically wrong with preferring the style or perspective of particular saints or leaders, but being imperfect human beings, our focus can easily drift.

It is critically important that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ always remain the center of our devotion, our spirituality, our theology, and our lives. We should therefore check ourselves continually, to make sure that Christ is indeed our center.

The best leaders and all the saints know this: no matter how much other people focus on them , they themselves keep Christ as the absolute center of their lives.

Saint Paul puts it perfectly, later in this same letter (11:1):

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

No matter whom we like as a political leader or as a spiritual exemplar, no matter what our personal style or personal preferences, may we always keep Christ as the center of our lives.