1st SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

  ALL SAINTS DAY - Pilgrims on a journey.

"There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus"( Galatians 3:28). This may have been an early baptismal formula.  In it Paul makes a radical statement: The source of our equality as humans is Jesus Christ. This passage is a source of hope for all who have at times been made to feel as if they are not fully human. In Baptism we become one in Christ and, as part of the Christian community, are called to respect the equality of all living persons. This may not seem like a radical idea in our contemporary culture, but throughout history people have not always been treated as full human persons. The principles of Christian social teaching call us to respect the dignity of all human persons and to be in solidarity with others, especially those who live on the margins. Being in solidarity means that we help to create a world in which basic human needs like food, housing,health -care, and religious freedom and peace are available to all.

"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. (Ephesians 4:4-6). This prayer is a prayer of unity, a prayer for us to live as one - one faith, one Baptism, one God, one body, one Spirit, one hope; a prayer for us to live in a world where all people, all creation, are woven into one garment. May we walk in such a world. May we be part of creating such a world...

"I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of His glory, He may grant that you may be strengthen in your inner being with power through His Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:14)

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