earthen vessels and blood-vessels
"This treasure we possess in earthen vessels." —2 Corinthians 4:7
Part of today's first reading is very popular. We seem to get much satisfaction from thinking of ourselves as "earthen vessels." Certainly we are weak and fragile. The emphasis in the New Testament, however, is not on our weakness but on the Lord's power and our greatness in Him. We are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people He claims for His own" (1 Pt 2:9). We are greater than the greatest people of the Old Testament, such as Abraham, Moses, Elijah, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah (see Mt 11:11). We can even do greater by far than Jesus did (Jn 14:12). We are earthen vessels but the most expensive vessels in the history of the human race. We were bought at the price of Jesus' blood.
Through His Incarnation, sacrificial death, and glorious Resurrection, the human person, and especially the Christian, has been raised to an awesome dignity. We are precious and chosen. We have every reason to love ourselves (see Mt 22:39). We also have every reason to reject the petty pleasures of the world, because they are beneath our dignity as children of God and temples of the Spirit. Yes, we are earthen vessels, but more importantly we are tabernacles where God has chosen to dwell.
Prayer: Father, may my self-image be appropriate to the fact that You sent Your Son to die for me.
Promise: "Indeed, everything is ordered to your benefit, so that the grace bestowed in abundance may bring greater glory to God because they who give thanks are many." —2 Cor 4:15
Praise: St. James treasured what he received from Jesus so much so that he was the first apostle to lay down his life in martyrdom.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our leaflet Thankful To Be Catholic on our tape on audio AV 49-3 or video V-49.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, February 1, 2011
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