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In his letter to the
Ephesians Paul speaks about Christ announcing the good news to those who
were far off and to those who were near. In Paul’s day those who
were far off were the gentiles; those who were near were the Jews. We
might wonder how those categories might apply to us today.
Who are those who are far
off? Are there some of our neighbors or friends or family who have
wandered away from the Lord? Perhaps their own personal experiences with
suffering or with the tragedies of life have led some to give up on
loving God. Others may have lost their sense of self-respect or
self-worth and no longer experience themselves as being worthy of the
love of others, much less the love of God. Still others may be so
oppressed by poverty or addictions that there is no room in their lives
for God.
Who are those who are near to the Lord? Most of us like to think of
ourselves in this category. We go to church every week. We try to
pray to God every day. We live according to the commandments and try to
treat each other with compassion. Surely we are the ones who are near to
the Lord.
Paul reminds us that Christ has created in himself “…one new person in
place of the two . . .reconciling both with God through the cross . . .”
This is one of the great mysteries of the Incarnation. Jesus, the
eternal Son of God, became man. He went the distance from a divine
person to a human person. Further still he became a criminal, the object
of scorn and derision. He created an infinite distance between
himself and God. By doing so there remains no area of human existence,
no corner of humanity, that cannot be embraced by the healing love of
God.
The next time we consider those who are far off, we may want to remind
ourselves that Jesus has been there. His Incarnation, his suffering, his
death on the cross took place so that he could reach those who were far
off. In his journey to reach them he has graciously paused to gather
those of us who think we are near as well.
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