who are we really? what kind of power do we have?

here are the readings for yesterday’s mass: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071121.cfm

this is a beautiful hymn from paul’s letter to the ephesians in the second reading:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of his grace
that he granted us in the beloved.

our union with the divine before we were born is the origin of love. we take comfort in this destiny of sanctification.

there is much more to me than i can imagine. one of my axioms is: we are mysteries unto ourselves. an example is amos in the first reading. amos saw himself as a shepherd and sycamore tree dresser not a prophet (for hire) as suggested by amaziah. but he was chosen and called to be a prophet to israel. God defines amos– and us. are my own self-definitions obscuring how God might be redefining me now?

and in the gospel, jesus sends out his apostles two by two to extend his mission– with the power of jesus. ultimately,

The Twelve drove out many demons,
and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them

how might i use the gifts with which God has graced me to continue jesus’ mission of healing?

we really do not know the power of Christ that lies within our baptismal call. i pray that the Spirit shows us these graces today and all days. and that we respond with a resounding “yes”