13th Sunday of Luke
Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-7
Nutshell
(1) Challenge
Pop Art is a celebration of mass production, which, for the most part, has been a good thing. Things that were once valuable have become common.
(2) Sin
Goods that were once out of the reach of the common man are now attainable. To put it another way, kings and serfs drink the same Pepsi. But, in doing this, we’ve also lost the concept of the sacred.
(3) What happens?
We no longer see the value in things, and, so, we’ve become a throwaway society. Nothing holds any meaning because it’s replaceable. And, sometimes, we see people this way as well. We don’t see Christ in our neighbor.
(4) Christ forges a new path
In contrast, God has taken a different approach. Instead of making valuable things attainable, he’s taken our common flesh and given us innumerable value. He’s taken our common bodies and turned them into his temple.
(5) Longing satisfied
Through our chrismation, we are sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit and God lives within us. Like Mary, we are pregnant with Christ.
(6) Visible evidence
To give birth to Christ, as Paul says in today’s reading, is to live as Christ lived: “… with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
(7) What shall I do?
By constantly giving birth to Christ—in every moment—we show those around us how God lives within us, and we offer them hope because we’ve brought God into their midst.
Fulltext
(1) Challenge
As many of you may know, I hold a master’s degree in art history and archaeology. While my primary focus was on the ancient Greeks, I was required to attain a certain level of proficiency in all art historical periods—from the ancient world to the modern era.
Believe it or not, I became fascinated by modern art. Its capacity to challenge the status quo and compel viewers to perceive the world differently captivated my attention.
One particular style, known as Pop Art, resonated deeply with me. Pop Art celebrated mass production, reflecting our world where the production of goods is easy, cost-effective, and accessible to almost everyone.
The famous Campbell Soup cans serve as a reminder of our achievements. Gone are the days of laboriously cutting and boiling various vegetables to make soup. Now, making soup is as simple as opening a can and warming it up in a microwave.
Yet, this extends beyond soup cans. We’ve streamlined the mass production of diverse food items, household goods, cars, books—almost anything imaginable or purchasable, especially on occasions like Black Friday. In many cases, this shift has transformed once-expensive and rare items into inexpensive and commonplace commodities.
(2) Sin
Goods once beyond the reach of the common person are now within grasp. In a sense, both kings and serfs drink the same Pepsi.
However, in this process, we’ve diminished the concept of the sacred.
Consider this: When I was a child, dining out was a special occasion, a rare treat reserved for a few times a year. And even then, we would often dress up—maybe not in our finest attire, but better than our everyday clothing. Sometimes, even going to McDonald’s felt like a special event.
Yet, as restaurant chains proliferated and my hometown finally acquired a McDonald’s, dining out became routine. With each visit, it lost its uniqueness, becoming progressively less special.
Now, visiting McDonald’s is no longer extraordinary; it’s something we do on our way home from work when we’re too fatigued to cook. McDonald’s, metaphorically speaking, has lost its sanctity.
(3) What Happens?
Due to our diminishing valuation of things, we’ve transformed into a disposable society. Nothing retains significance because everything is replaceable. Why bother repairing something when we can easily purchase a new one from the store?
Yet, the issue extends beyond objects; at times, it extends to people as well. At its worst, we adopt a throwaway attitude towards others, disregarding the suffering of our neighbors.
This mirrors the story of the rich man and Lazarus, which we recently heard. Every day, the rich man passed by Lazarus, considering him nothing more than refuse.
Similar to the rich man, we’ve lost the ability to recognize Christ in the person directly in front of us.
(4) Christ Forges a New Path
Contrary to our disposable approach, God has taken a different path.
While we’ve made valuable things commonplace, God has elevated our common humanity, infusing immeasurable value into it. He’s transformed our ordinary bodies into His temple.
By becoming incarnate as one of us, He has bestowed value upon each one of us.
God hasn’t discarded anyone. Instead, He has redeemed us, for each individual is worth saving.
(5) Longing Satisfied
This reality is embodied through the sacraments, especially baptism and chrismation.
After participating in the death and resurrection of Christ through baptism, the priest takes holy chrism, dips a brush into it, and anoints the newly baptized while uttering, “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
We are no longer ordinary. We are no longer disposable. Through chrismation, each of us becomes a redeemed individual, bestowed with the Holy Spirit, God Himself.
This same significance was emphasized in the recent Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple.
Mary, like us, was an ordinary individual, a young girl whom her parents, out of gratitude, dedicated to God. They sent her to live with the priests at the Temple in Jerusalem.
However, the story takes an extraordinary turn. Instead of residing simply in the Temple precinct, she lived in the Holy of Holies—the holiest area in the entire Temple, where God’s presence dwelled. This space was so sacred that only the high priest could enter, and even then, just once a year.
Nonetheless, God sanctified Mary, elevating her. He granted her immeasurable value, allowing her to live directly in His presence. She was considered so precious that hymns for the feast poetically refer to her as the Temple and the Ark of the Covenant.
And, of course, her value is confirmed as she is entrusted with bearing Christ in her womb.
Dear brothers and sisters, we are entrusted with a similar significance. Through chrismation, when sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, we live with God in our midst. We are called to carry Christ, just as Mary did.
(6) Visible Evidence
This is what Paul conveys in today’s reading. We are urged to live, “… with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
This is living with God in our midst. This is bearing Christ.
When we exhibit patience, when we endure one another with humility, gentleness, and love, we assign value to our neighbors. We recognize them as individuals of worth.
This echoes Christ’s expectations in today’s Gospel reading for the ruler. Christ advised him, “There is one thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Christ urged him not to discard his neighbor as the rich man discarded Lazarus.
If the ruler had obeyed Christ’s instructions, he wouldn’t have merely seen his neighbor; he would have seen Christ in his neighbor. Perhaps this is what Christ meant by “come and follow me”—serving the poor, in whom Christ resides.
(7) What Shall I Do?
In essence, this is how each of us can follow Christ. Because His image dwells in all of us, serving each other is serving Christ. It is following Him.
By consistently living in this manner, we demonstrate to those around us that God also dwells within us. We offer them hope by bringing God into their midst, enabling them to live, akin to the Theotokos, in God’s presence.
Through this way of living, we confer immeasurable value upon every individual around us.
Amen.