LORD, INCREASE OUR FAITH

XXVII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Lk 17:5-10

A prophet is always a voice that speaks for God so that we are addressed by Him, as he calls and challenges us. However, many times, the prophet also gives voice to our moaning, as we turn to God complaining of the suffering and the pain we go through. There are times when we feel abandoned and thrown into a ditch as if we were discardable. It is as if God does not care or as if he does not exist. Habakkuk went through such an experience and he complained to God saying: 

“How long, O Lord, am I to cry for help

while you will not listen;

to cry ‘Oppression!’ in your ear

and you will not save?” - Habakkuk 1:2

It sounds as if God is on the side of the exploiters and the evildoers because life is easy on them. In spite of this, the prophet is bold enough to complain before God, being confident that God will listen to him. And Habakkuk received a reassuring answer. God has not forgotten his people and he will fulfil his promise. It may seem to be slow coming, but if it will come, “without fail”. While waiting, we must remain faithful, being certain that “the upright man will live by his faithfulness”.

In his Second Letter to Timothy, Paul draws attention to essential attitudes in any Christian, but especially in those in positions of leadership: a) “Rekindle the gift of God” received for the service of the community; b) do not be intimidated, but on the contrary show strength and courage that must be measured by love and moderation; c) bear witness to Jesus Christ, never being ashamed of him and those who suffer for him; d) be willing to suffer for the Gospel; e) trust in the power of God; f) be guided by the words of those who teach us according to faith and love that are in Jesus Christ.

The request of the Apostles must become our daily prayer: Lord, "increase our faith." We easily realise that our faith is weak because we are fragile and fickle and we know that it is impossible to grow in faith by our efforts alone; Faith is a gift from God, and we ask it from Him: "Increase our faith." According to Jesus, by faith, the impossible becomes possible, because through faith we share in God’s power. If we are daily faced confronted with our powerlessness, it is because we allowed our faith to die and do not rely on God to revive it. Let us pray: 

Lord, increase our faith.

THE SELFISH USE OF WEALTH

XXVI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Lk 16:19-31

In this Sunday’s gospel, we are told the well-known parable of the rich man and the poor Lazarus. In the parable, we are told nothing about the moral behaviour of both the rich man and the wretched one. Were they law-abiding people? Were they fair in their dealings with other people? Were they truthful? It seems as if none of these was a deciding factor in their final fate. We remain with the impression that Lazarus got a time of happiness and peace, just because of the wretchedness he lived in here on earth, while the rich man saw his happiness changed into sorrow and suffering. We know nothing about the source of the rich man’s wealth. Did he inherit it? Did he get rich by his hard work and entrepreneurship? Or was it the fruit of his crookedness and his exploitation of the poor? And the same applies to the poor Lazarus. Was he born poor or did he become poor because he wasted his wealth? Was he lazy or maybe an alcoholic and addicted to drugs? We know nothing about their honour and honesty. We may say that this parable is an illustration of the beatitudes as they are presented in the gospel of Luke: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” and its counterpart: “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation” (Lk 6:21,24).

In spite of this unclear picture about the moral behaviour of both of them, Jesus leaves it clear about the true reason of the rich man’s condemnation: He “used to dress in purple and fine linen and feast magnificently every day”. He only cared about enjoying life, trying to get the most pleasure his wealth bought for him. He had no other concerns and he was blind to everything else. He was unable to feel compassion for the suffering of the others and the poor Lazarus at the gate of his palace was a nuisance that his servants were ordered to hide from him. He never listened to the cry of the poor, because he was too full of himself. The parable leaves the clear impression that the rich man had much more that he deserved and that the poor Lazarus was unjustly ignored and despised, being treated as an outcast.

In the second part of the parable, there is an inversion of the situation, with poor Lazarus being welcomed in paradise, while the rich man finds himself in a place of suffering. And it is as if the suffering opened up his eyes and he realised the dear situation he was in. He complains about his suffering and seeks relief from the one he had ignored and despised. However, his request was rejected, first of all, because there is a huge gap - a canyon - that separates those who have entered God's house and those who have been excluded from it. And suddenly we are surprised that this selfish man thinks about his brothers and cares about their fate. And he asks for the unthinkable. Lazarus could go back, as someone who rose from the dead, to warn them. However, he is told that they would not believe a resurrected Lazarus; instead, they would consider him to be a ghost. For them and for us, there is only one way to avoid condemnation and to find a place in God’s Kingdom: “They have Moses and the prophets, let them listen to them.” Only listening to the word of God can lead us to conversion.

MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE EVIL MONEY, SO THAT THEY WILL WELCOME YOU IN HEAVEN.

XXV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Lk 16:1-13 

Since times of old, wealth has been considered by many as worthy of having and living for. When it becomes the supreme value, people who pursue it are ready to do anything that may increase wealth. For most of them, wealth is never enough and the desire for wealth is like a bottomless pit that will never be filled up. Wealth brings influence and power, leading the ones who have it to enjoy a sense of well-being, since they can have what their heart desires, satisfying all their desires. However, they are never at peace with themselves. They are filled with worries about losing their wealth and their conscience is always accusing them of ignoring and despising the others.

After hearing the call of the Lord, Amos, a man used to hard life as a keeper of the flocks on the mountains of Judah, went to Israel in the North, where he made a scathing attack on the wealthy men of the land “who trampled on the needy and tried to suppress the poor people of the country”. In times of crisis, they became the sole owners of essential goods, killing the poor with an artificial scarcity of bread to inflate their price. According to Amos, God does not want a society built on the exploitation and oppression of the weak and the poor. God pays attention to the way the rich exploit and oppress the poor and he will never forget a single thing that they have done (Am 8:7).

Hearing the parable of the dishonest manager, we are surprised not by his dishonesty, as this is very common, but by his cleverness in finding friends to welcome him. Nowadays, many people embezzle their company funds and open offshore accounts to secure a good life in their old age. However, what is most shocking is to hear Jesus praising the cleverness of this dishonest man. Surely, Jesus is not praising is cleverness in stealing, but he points out that he experienced in the flesh the precariousness of life, wealth and glory. From one moment to the next, he was left with nothing. And this experience of hardship led him to recognise how important others are for our survival. Suddenly he realised that having friends is more important than having wealth or power. In difficult times, all of us are forced to realise that wealth and power do not bring us peace; the comfort to our hearts can only come from others. Hence, Jesus counsels us saying: “Use money, tainted as it is, to win you friends, and thus make sure that when it fails you, they will welcome you into the tents of eternity.” That is, let us use the goods we have to win friends who will welcome us in heaven.

GOD’S MERCIFUL LOVE

XXIV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Lk 15:1-32

In the second reading, in his first letter to Timothy, Paul quotes a saying which he considers to be true about Jesus’ mission: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim 1:15), and he sets himself forward as an example, considering himself “the greatest” sinner, who was forgiven, loved and called to be an apostle.

In this Sunday’s gospel we are presented with three parables on God’s loving mercy: looking for the lost sheep; finding the lost coin and finally the story of the man who had two sons, mostly known as the parable of the prodigal son. The two sons of the parable represent each one of us. We may be the youngest son who feels oppressed in his father’s house and decides to leave in search of his way. Cutting all the links with the past and loosening all the ties with his father, he goes far away, putting all that behind and moving into unknown territory where he dreams of finding pleasure, joy and happiness. Far away from his father, he could breathe freely and do whatever pleased him. However, that freedom and that joy lasted but a while and much sooner than he could have imagined he started experiencing hardship and loneliness that led him to the point of despair. He was confronted with his shortcomings, weaknesses, failures and sins. Experiencing the hardness of life, he was able to remember his father’s caring love. The young son represents all those who turn to God when they pass through difficult times and realise the emptiness left by the pleasures of the world.

Reading the parable, we may concentrate on the youngest son and ignore the attitude of the eldest one. He was a well behaved and responsible son who took life seriously. We may say that he deserved a prize and that he would be the pride of any parent. So, when he appears, we are puzzled by his behaviour towards his father and his younger brother. And we are left in doubt, since the parable comes to an end, keeping us in suspense: did he go in and took part in the feast or did he leave, turning his back on his father? Both outcomes are possible.

If we look attentively to Paul and pay attention to what he wrote to Timothy, we may discover in him the eldest son. Being a Pharisee, Paul excelled in keeping the Law and abhorred the Christian Way as dangerous. Thus he became a persecutor of the Church, harassing the followers of Jesus and throwing them into prison. Wholeheartedly dedicated to preserving the purity of the Law, he could not see the mercifulness of God and could not accept that God may call people of any tribe and race into his fellowship. His goodness became pride and his pride blinded him. With his persecution of Christians, Paul allowed his heart to be filled with pride and hatred, which would end destroying whatever good there was in him. However, his life took a turn to the right, when he was faced with Jesus’ question: “Why are you persecuting me?” This conceited man had to be pushed over to realise how much he had gone astray and how lost he was. This awareness of his sin made it possible to accept God's merciful love that would lead him to say: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I myself am the greatest of them; and if mercy has been shown to me, it is because Jesus Christ meant to make me the greatest evidence of his inexhaustible patience for all the other people who would later have to trust in him to come to eternal life.” (1 Tim 1:15-16).

LORD, FILL US WITH YOUR LOVE

XXIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Lk 14:25-33

Whenever we hear in the news about the suffering inflicted on Christians in many parts of the world, we may think that maybe it is a dream, because in our days when everybody claims their rights such things are unthinkable. We got used to being Christian and we feel at ease as if we had just put on something that fits us well. However, Jesus’ words in this Sunday’s gospel make us feel uncomfortable. Jesus puts demands on those who choose to be his disciples which may be considered radical and extreme. Jesus must take precedence over everybody else, be it father or mother, husband, wife or children. He takes precedence over our own life, so that, for the sake of faithfulness to him, we must be ready to lose our life. Before him, everything else is worthless. 

To be a Christian has serious implications and Jesus points out some of them: a) Jesus must take always the first place in our priorities; b) We must carry our cross; c) We must be ready to give up all our possessions.

We can only accept Jesus’ demands when we realise that only with him our life will be worth living and when our faith in him is strengthened by hope, a hope anchored on his victory over death. Once we go through his way, having him as our fellow traveller, then we will pass with him from death to life.

The responsorial psalm reminds us of the shortness of our life and of our mortality. And we pray to the Lord: “Make us know the shortness of our life that we may gain wisdom of heart”; that is, that we may put all our trust in the Lord and that we may experience his love:

“In the morning, fill us with your love;

  we shall exult and rejoice all our days.” (Psalm 90:14)

WHO HUMBLES HIMSELF WILL BE EXALTED

XXII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 14:1,7-14

Jesus was invited to a meal in a Pharisee’s home, and “they watched him closely” so that they might prove him wrong. We get the impression that, on both sides, they spied on each other. Jesus was always aware of his surroundings, paying attention to the attitudes and the reactions of those who surrounded him. Noticing how the guests were looking for “the places of honour”, Jesus took the opportunity to set forth before them the path of righteousness. If someone, full of pride, looks down on everybody else, he is walking on the path to self-destruction. By his pride, he cuts the strings that connect him to the others and remains alone, full of himself and empty of everything which may bring peace and happiness. That’s why Jesus said it very clearly: “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.”

To humble oneself does not mean to accept any kind of humiliation that robs us of our dignity. Instead, it means to recognise and to accept our weaknesses and shortcomings; it means to become aware of the need of belonging, knowing that we are interdependent and need the others to live and find happiness. 

In the book of Sirach, there is a passage, which is this Sunday’s first reading about being humble and about the danger of being proud, comparing pride to a sickness: “There is no cure for the proud man’s malady since an evil growth has taken root in him.” Being proud, we ignore, despise and oppress the others and turn our back on God. This pride becomes the root of selfishness, jealousy, envy and hatred, ignoring the truth and being satisfied with lies.

Humbling ourselves, we will be able to sit with the poor and to pay attention to the needs of the others. Let us pray and ask the Lord to give us a humble heart who can rejoice in the goodness of others.

ARE YOU SAVED?

XXI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 13:22-30

The people of Israel always felt as being privileged and considered themselves as the “chosen people”, as if God only cared for them and ignored all the others. However, very soon, the prophets came to realise that the people of Israel were set apart for the sake of all other peoples of the earth. God chose Israel because he cares about the wellbeing and the salvation of all peoples. In spite of desiring the best for his people, Isaiah was not narrow-minded and he was not in any way a man full of bigotry; guided by the Spirit of God, he was open-minded and his gaze reaches far and wide. He understood that God had a plan of salvation for all: “The Lord says this: I am coming to gather the nations of every language. They shall come to witness my glory.”

However, we should not take salvation for granted. It is not a “fait accompli”. And there is always the danger that we may never get hold of it. There are some people who blindly believe that they are saved already. We received a promise of salvation and we call ourselves disciples of Jesus Christ. We know that we are saved by his grace: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ep 2:8-9). Does that mean that no matter what we are already saved? On his side, God has done everything, showing deep love and commitment, being faithful to his covenant. However, salvation depends as well on the answer we give to God’s call. If we ignore his love and turn our backs on him, he will not drag us against our will and he will force us into heaven.

This Sunday’s gospel speaks about the earnestness with which we should approach the door to salvation: “‘Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.” This means that we must try hard and be forceful in order to enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus advises us to take seriously the road to salvation, being committed to the keeping of the commandments, that is being committed to living by love. It is not enough to call ourselves Christians, we must follow the Way of Jesus Christ. If we do not do so, he will disown us.