WEAPONS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Romans 6:12-18; Ps 124 Our help is in the name of the Lord; Luke 12:39-48

St Paul has quite the  exhortation of for us today.

"And do not present the parts of your bodies to sin as weapons for wickedness, but present yourself to God as raised from the dead to life and the parts of your bodies to God as weapons for righteousness…"

Here is certainly counter culture advise.

Look around.  How many body parts are being presented as weapons of wickedness as opposed to weapons of righteousness?

What does this mean?

I think it goes back to the gospel for this past Sunday.  Here are a few words of Pope Francis to help us reconnect to the gospel of Sunday and St Paul's words for us today.

"In the biblical tradition, the Son of Man is the one who receives from God “dominion, glory and kingship” (Dan7:14). Jesus fills this image with new meaning. He shows us that he enjoys dominion because he is a servant, glory because he is capable of abasement, kingship because he is fully prepared to lay down his life. By his passion and death, he takes the lowest place, attains the heights of grandeur in service, and bestows this upon his Church."

Dominion through service, glory through abasement, kingship by laying down his life. 

Again, Jesus has a way of turning the world upside down.  What we see has the goal he flips it on its edge. 

Service, abasement, laying down one's life are the ways our body parts become weapons of righteousness. 

We use our body for the the good of the other.  We display our body so that others may be lifted upward to godliness. 

Our body is an instrument, a temple.  Through our body we reveal to the world the love of god and his goodness.

Modesty is important.  Clothing doesn't so much disguise as reveals what is at the heart of our love and attention.  Bride's wear veils not to disguise but rather to reveal beauty.  So too our dress is revealing to the world where the true meaning of beauty is to be discovered  

Weapons of righteousness. 

Think about that to day.  Our body is a weapon for righteousness.  Through our body the world comes to know God's goodness and love.