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First And Last

So, too, it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living being, "the last Adam a life-giving spirit. But the spiritual was not first; rather the natural and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, earthly; the second man, from heaven.  As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly, and as is the heavenly one, so also are the heavenly.  Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.”

It’s very rare for the spiritual to be first.  When we are born, the Spirit is with us, but the effects of that Spirit only manifest themselves when we get older and Christ is made known to us through our family and Church.  When born, man and woman become living beings; we are natural and earthly, for a while.  In a sense we bear the images of Adam and Eve, the earthly ones – the “first” man and woman (notwithstanding the fact that both result from great biblical story-telling).

Later, perhaps many years later, we become like the second man – not in appearance of course, but by nature.   The Holy Spirit’s gifts take hold and like the “last Adam,” we bear the image of Jesus – the heavenly one.   Unfortunately for many that image loses focus and becomes fuzzy.   The challenge is to keep it sharp and crisp.

When next we look into our mirrors, let’s introduce ourselves to the heavenly ones.   Staring back at us will be images of men and women charged to be life-giving to those around us through love and compassion.   

Deacon David Pierce

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