WE LIVE IN EXILE, WAITING FOR THE TIME TO LIVE AT HOME WITH CHRIST

XI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 2 Corinthians 5:6-10

St. Paul speaks of his own experience - he feels like someone who lives in exile while being certain of the return to his homeland. Living with an intense longing for his “home with the Lord”, he lives “always full of confidence”.

Speaking of his own experience, Paul gives voice to the experience of all of us. It is true that we live attached to this world and that all we do we do it through our bodies. One day, however, we will depart and our bodies will be given to the earth where they decompose and disappear. Will it be the end? We cannot conform ourselves to such an end. We arrive and then we depart.  Surely, this is not home. It is as if we live in tents (2 Co 5:1), in a temporary dwelling, in the hope of a better place, a permanent home. We live here on earth, motivated and strengthened by hope. And while we live in this land of exile, “we are intent on pleasing him (God)”, so that his will may be done. 

As a warning, Paul tells us that there will be a time for judgement when we “will be brought out in the law court of Christ, and each of us will get what he deserves for the things he did in the body, good or bad.” We are responsible for the choices we made and for our actions. While we are in exile, we must prepare ourselves for our permanent home. If we waste our time and go astray, what are we going to present before Christ?

In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the mustard seed, comparing the kingdom of God to it. It is a parable about humble and small beginnings which will lead to a great achievement. The parable speaks of a process of growth, which takes place by God’s grace. Although in exile, we do not live far away from God. We are always under his care. He is the one who gives the growth and who leads us on the right path. Sometimes, it may seem that God has abandoned us and we may feel like being outcast and not only in exile. The people of Israel felt like that many times, but, whenever despair invaded their hearts, God sent a prophet with a reassuring message. We are the tree that God has planted and he will make sure that it is going to produce many fruits.