SUNDAY C Wis 18:6-9; Heb 11:1-2,8-19; Lk 12:32-48 GOD’S ACCEPTANCE TO GIVE AND OUR READINESS TO RECEVE THE KINGDOM OF GOD Jesus declares it is the pleasure of the Father or is pleased to give us His Kingdom. Hence the reward of the Kingdom is certain. Yet how He gives, when He gives or how we can receive it is to be taken note of.
The carrier or the one, who brings it, is JESUS. He is going to award only those
who are ready to receive it. And for those who are not ready, not in next installment but only punishment.
Jesus tells us through two parables of the people that can be found ready. They are:
1)
People, like the servant, ready open the door at the knock of his Master, ready to open the doors of their lives when Jesus comes, to show hospitality to every one as Abraham and the disciples on to Emmaus; to have patience and good heart to listen to the people who are afflicted, troubled, depressed, heavy in heart as Mary, sister of Martha did when Jesus came; to show love and affection, moral support, guidance to those are in need and financial and physical assistance for those are poor and weak.
2) People, Keeping alive the established relationship between God and man, like faithful servant in the 2ndparable. Jesus taught us to establish a father and child relationship between God and us by teaching the ‘Our Father’ and its we truly are, through his body and Blood. Because Jesus is accepted as son of God both at Baptism in the River Jordan and at the event of Transfiguration, and through him we become His children. In order to keep up this relationship one needs to do what pleases Him knowing His will for oneself, carrying out one’s own responsibilities with a commitment, properly making use of all the talents, knowledge, intellectuality and other material possessions for the common good. These will make God our Father happy as
19th ORDINARY he finds us faithful to him and the Relationship is not strained.
3) Keeping alive the established relationship between man and man, like faithful servant in the parable. The new relationship between God and man laid the foundation for the FRATERNAL RELATIONSHIP among men. Therefore one’s relationship with others should not be strained like that of the unfaithful servant who became drunk and maltreated the fellow servants. Hence one needs to forgive others showing concern in all their strengths and weaknesses. One needs to extend his or her services to others whenever the situations require or demand. Hence one needs to have kindness, gentleness, generosity, affection, outreaching etc. and establish a pleasant and holy atmosphere with others, as Mother Mary’s visit to Elizabeth where the Holy Spirit prevailed. When Jesus finds in the above manner, certainly he will reward with His Kingdom. However, knowingly trespassed of the will of God and strains both the relationships, is liable for severe punishment.
Here again Jesus then goes on to expand and throw more light on the issue of reward and punishment.We normally know at the last Judgment he speaks of only two divisions i.e. blessed and the accursed; good and bad; faithful and unfaithful; reward and punishment. But here he splits the punishment as 1) Severe punishment, 2) lighter punishment, giving a ray of hope for something else through light punishment. “the Servant who knew his master’s will but did not act in accord… deserves severe punishment and the servant who is ignorant of his master’s will and act against …deserves light punishment accordingly. Surely it is not the blessed in heaven for they receive no beating at all. And it is not the cursed in hell for they receive a severe beating. The
third one which the Lord indicates today
leads us to the faith in the Catholic Doctrine of Purgatory, a state of temporary, remedial punishment for believers who die in venial sin. The people who are not with mortal sins but are with venial sins they can neither go to heaven nor go to hell.
As a servant with severe punishment is dismissed but with light punishment is taken back, So the souls in purgatory have the hope along with us to be rewarded and received back into the eternal Bliss.
Therefore it is a great source of hope for us to know that even if we die in this imperfect, struggling state we may receive "a light beating" but we will still be admitted to the eternal happiness of heaven.
Hence one needs to take care of most is to read the signs of the times and be ready to receive the reward. Here it is fitting to remind ourselves of a story that goes like this.
a man asked permission death to give warning before it comes to him and had it granted. Many years passed enjoying his life accumulating possessions etc. but there was no warning from death. One day he came down to his room to make preparations to settle the property after him. But before he closed the door death grabbed him on to his shoulders. The man shouted at it I told you to send me warning but without it you are taking me away. The death smiled and said I did many times. Now to see your face you too close to the mirror, once your hair was black and thick now white and less, the shaking of your head, stumbling in walking all are my warnings but you never cared for them. We are the people, well equipped with all that is necessary to be ready when the Lord comes with his reward. We can never be able to say that we are ignorant of God’s will. We are provided with all opportunities to know God’s will. From the Beginning of our childhood we have: Catechism and
religious education, We have Church teachings, we have priests to guide all our way and their homilies, we have the Sacramental life and priestly blessings needed from womb to tomb, we have parents, teachers, friends, elders and above all THE WORD OF GOD AND PRAYER.
Therefore we have no chance to say I am ignorant of that and this. Let us not be foolish like the old man of the story I narrated but be prudent and faithful servants with responsibility and commitment while we keep up our healthy relationship with God and neighbor.
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FR JOHN RAJU JUNJUNURI Email: [email protected]