Words of Wisdom and Truth
A Reflection for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time 10/30/2016
By Rev. Bob
Johnnene OFM
Mission Saints
Sergius & Bacchus
Order Franciscans
of Mercy
Link to
Franciscans of Mercy web site www.orderfranciscansofmercy.org
The reading most certainly should open our hearts and
minds to God’s infinite mercy and love for all His children regardless of their
race, nationality, gender, or religious denomination.
When we take into consideration the other readings for
this Sunday we have not only a message affirming God’s love and mercy for us
all but also advice on how we can and will be welcomed and found pleasing in
God’s eyes.
The reading from the book of Wisdom 11 verses 22
through Wisdom 12:verse 2 says; “Before
the Lord the whole universe is like a grain of dust that tips the scales,or
like a drop of morning dew falling on the ground. Yet you are merciful to all,
because you can do all things and overlook men’s sins so that they can repent. Yes,
you love all that exists; you hold nothing of what you have made in abhorrence,
for had you hated anything, you would not have formed it. And how, had you not willed it, could a
thing persist, how be conserved if not called forth by you? You spare all
things because all things are yours, Lord, lover of life, you whose
imperishable spirit is in all. Little by
little, therefore, you correct those who offend, you admonish and remind them
of how they have sinned, so that they may abstain from evil and trust in you,
Lord.”
When coupled with, are taken into consideration from
St. Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians chapter 1:11-2:2 we become strengthened even
more in the knowledge of God’s love for us; “all
that you have been doing through faith the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ will
be glorified in you and you in him, by the grace of our God and the Lord
Jesus Christ. To turn now to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we
shall all be gathered round him: please do not get excited too soon or alarmed
by any prediction or rumor or any letter claiming to come from us, implying
that the Day of the Lord has already arrived.”
So many who claim to be preaching the word of God have
tried to frighten people with the admonition that dooms day is at hand, and
have done so from the earliest days of the church but Christ himself told us; “However, no one knows the day or hour when
these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. (Mark
13:32)
The message from Sunday’s Gospel is also comforting
and affirming in that it reminds us that Christ did not heed the admonishments
of the Religious of His time. It also makes clear that God and Christ are there
for everyone who believes in them and tries to live in a way that is pleasing
to God according to the teachings that Christ proclaimed.
Unfortunatly there are some who believe that they are the
“chosen ones” because of their position, their wealth or because or their devotional
practices and attendance at church but when they leave the confines of the
church, and sometimes even while there, they do not practice Christian Charity
and often demean others because of how they dress, or the color of their skin
or their nationality.
The Gosple tells us: “When
Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him: “Zacchaeus come down.
Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.” And Zacchaeus hurried down and
welcomed Christ joyfully. Others complained when they saw what was happening. “He
has gone to stay at a sinner’s house” they said. But Zacchaeus stood his ground
and said to the Lord, “Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the
poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the
amount”And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because
this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek out and
save what was lost” (Luke 19:1-10)
We might also take note of what Zacchaeus said to
Christ about giving half of his property to the poor and needy and making right
any injustices or cheating he might have done since it is also one of the major
teachings of Christ, to be mindful of the needs of others and to share our
gifts with those who have not.
Christ has told us time and again that being aware of
others and having compassion and generosity are keys to entering into heaven.
The Seraphic Father of our order, The Franciscan’s of Divine
Mercy and love of God, our official name, knew this message so very well.
St. Francis is known to have said “I acknowledge that all my possessions were
given to me by God, and now here I am ready to give them back to Him”
Everything we have comes from God and therefore we
need to give thanks for the gifts we have received and not hoard them to
ourselves but share then according to our ability.
We need to open our eyes to the needs of others around
us and to put aside our prejudices and self centered interests and open our
hearts to being more receptive to living the great commandment of Christ every
moment of our life here on earth.
“Love the Lord, your God, with your
whole heart, mind, soul and body and love your neighbor as you love yourself”
“Love one another as I have loved you”
Tomorrow, Monday, we celebrate the eve of All Saints
Day called All Hallows Eve.
The traditions we have of dressing up like ghosts and
gobblins and witches dates back to ancient times when the people of a village
would dress up and carry torches and banged on drums in the belief that they
could chase evil spirits away from the village.
We, Catholics, should spend time recalling and praying
for those loved ones who have passed on to their eternal reward.
In fact, since this Tuesday is the feast of All
Saints, and a time we should attend Mass, and Wednesday is the feast of All
Souls, spending this week meditating on the lives of those who have been called
home to the Lord and also meditating on how well we are living our lives in
accord with the teachings Christ gave us as the means to gain everlasting life
with Almighty God, His Blessed Mother and all the heavenly elect.
To bring forth the idea of what these two feast days
are all about all I had to do was write two of the readings from scripture for
the feasts days because the readings sum up everything we have to do in order
to gain everlasting life and also fulfill God’s desire for us while we inhabit
this planet.
The Second Reading for All Saints day is from the
first gospel of John verse 3:1-3 and states;
“Think of the
love that the Father has lavished on us, by letting us be called God’s
children; and that is what we are.
Because the world refused to acknowledge him, therefore it does not
acknowledge us.
My dear people, we are already the
children of God but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed;
all we know is, that when it is revealed we shall be like him because we shall
see him as he really is. Surely
everyone who entertains this hope must purify himself, must try to be as pure
as Christ”.
The Gospel from Matthew 5:1-12 continues on with what
is often called “The Sermon on the Mount” in which Christ talks about how we
should live our life here on earth. “Seeing
the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his
disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them: ‘How happy are
the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy the gentle: they shall have the earth
for their heritage. Happy those who mourn: they shall be comforted. Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is
right: they shall be satisfied. Happy
the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them. Happy the pure in heart: they shall see
God. Happy the peacemakers: they shall
be called sons of God. Happy those who
are persecuted in the cause of right: theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy
are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny
against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great
in heaven; this is how they persecuted the prophets before you.”
Let us go forth from this day forward, putting these
words of Christ into action by being more concerned about the needs of others
especially the poor, homeless, unemployed, sick, aged as well as those society
has disenfranchised, maligned as well as those who are less fortunate than we are
and go out of our way to find every opportunity to share the gifts that God has
given us with them.
If we do this we will be living the Gospel every day
of our life and by doing so not only be an inspiration to those who we
encounter in our daily life but we will also be opening the door into our
partaking in the everlasting glory in heaven with Almighty God our Father and
creator of all things, His beloved Son, our redeemer and savior Jesus Christ,
the Holy Spirit and all the heavenly elect.
May God bless you and keep you, may his light shine
upon you and may you be filled with the comfort and peace that comes from God. AMEN
