Mature in Christ

A Reflection on the Second Reading for July 17th, 2022:
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Colossians
1.24-28

Brothers and sisters: I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the Church.

I became its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints.

To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is Christ whom we proclaim, warning every person and teaching every person in all wisdom, so that we may present every person mature in Christ.

I enjoy whisky, and by “whisky” I mean Scotch whisky. I enjoy the colour of it, the taste of it, and the “mmmm” smell of it. Years ago, when I lived in Scotland, I did a number of whisky tours — I won’t say how many — and one topic the guide always addressed was how the whisky was “matured.” 


Now, whisky maturation is a complex process, and I have just enough knowledge about it to build an analogy, so bear in mind that you’re not hearing from an expert by any stretch. However, I have come to understand that there are three major variables affecting the maturation of whisky: the properties of the distillery’s location (water, climate, etc.), time (a long time left in the cask is not always better or necessary), and the properties of the cask. Let’s talk about the casks.


Whisky is matured in oak casks — not new ones but rather ones that previously held other spirits, such as sherry, rum, bourbon, and tequila. As the whisky sits in the casks, its colour,  flavour and aroma — in short, its “character” — is shaped and influenced by the wood, its oils and the remnants of these other spirits.


Now, we’ve all heard the maturing of people compared to that of good cheese and fine wine, but it seems to me that whisky is a better comparator. Unlike cheese and wine, the most important variable in the maturing of whisky and people is not time but rather the cask. As whisky experts note, maturity is not only about age. Whisky that is aged in a good-quality cask will achieve good maturity. However, the same whisky in a poor quality cask remains immature and lacks quality and flavour no matter how old it gets.


So, as I mature, I have to ask myself: what is the condition of my cask? What environment do I steep in every day? What oils seep out of the fibres of my cask and into me? Is it the oil of gladness, of charity? And what of the spirits flavouring my character? Am I influenced by  the spirit of gentleness and humility, or the spirit of pride? The spirit of love and patience, or the spirit of jealousy and bitterness? The spirit of fellowship, or the spirit of enmity?


If I am to become (as St. Paul says) “mature in Christ” — which is the most desirable maturity — I have to attend to my environment to ensure it is infused with good things which, as I soak in them, will shape my character just as sure as a cask shapes the character of the whiskies I love. 


Lord, thank you that You have drawn us into Yourself, where our character is flavoured by Your goodness, our lives coloured by Your love, and our days scented by the oil of gladness. Amen.

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Donna Davis

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