Wellspring of the Gospel

Year C: 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Second Reading: based on St Paul’s letter to the Colossians 1: 15-20

Although it is not easy to see from how the Reading looks in the Missal, the words of today’s Reading are likely to have been taken from an early Christian hymn.

Here is a different translation that makes that clearer:

For in Him was created everything
in heaven and on earth,
the seen and the unseen,
whether thrones or dominions,
whether principalities or powers;
everything through Him and for Him was created.

He is before everything;
and everything in Him exists.
He is the head of the body,
the church.

Who is the beginning,
firstborn from the dead,
so that in everything He is preeminent.

For in Him all the fullness was pleased to dwell,
and through Him to reconcile everything to Him,
making peace through the blood of His cross,
whether on earth
or in heaven.

The hymn is about Christ and proclaims Him as existing before everything else in creation - and of all that is having its being through Him. You may notice echoes of the words of the Creed - “through Him all things were made...”

The hymn celebrates the power of Christ -
all things came to being through Him -
He has power over everything that exists -
He is the head of everything in the cosmos - and head of the church -
He is the first born from the dead -
in Him is the fullness -
and through Him God reconciled the world to Himself.

One possible reason for our reluctance to be witnesses to Jesus and the Gospel is that we forget how marvellous these things are. Many people might be able to shrug off the wonder of Jesus being the Son of God - and dismiss His story as no longer relevant to the world - but can we? If we had never heard about it, we might have an excuse - but we have. Not only have we heard about Jesus but, through our Baptism, we have become part of the great Body of Christ - we are part of His glory.

What does it mean for me?

| Gospel | First Reading | Second Reading |

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