Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 25, 2021
“I... urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness and patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.”
As we look around, building construction is booming. One gets torn down and another replaces it. May we use Paul’s virtues as the building blocks for reconstructing our own spiritual lives. All of us, through baptism, have received a special call. We, in the words of Pope Francis, have had our own personal encounter with Him.
The virtues of humility provide the foundation to get started, as the Lord is number one in our lives and we depend totally upon Him. Gentleness assures others of a welcome into our circle of faith. Patience, He tells us, is a fruit of the Spirit dwelling in us, and with the other fruits, provide the direction we need. It is not always easy to forgive, but why hold on to something which we don’t need? A wise spiritual person taught me, ‘not forgive and forget’, but remember without bitterness. If unity is absent, work to put it there, resulting in peace for yourself and for others.
This can be the blueprint for building our spiritual lives and growing with the Lord.