Seek the Lord for True Peace
A Reflection for the Twenty Fifth Sunday or Ordinary Time
September 24th, 2017
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFM
Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/Order Franciscans of Mercy
Divinemercyparish@msn.com
“Seek the Lord while he is
still to be found, call to him while he is still near” these
words taken from the first reading from the book of Isaiah 55:6-9 should be a wakeup
call for us even in this the twenty-first century.
The second reading for this Sunday from
Paul’s letter to the Philippians 1:20-27 has some wise words of advice for us
also when he tells people to; “Avoid
anything in your everyday lives that would be unworthy of the gospel of Christ”
This week’s gospel story is a very
familiar one of the landowner who hires laborers at various times of day
offering to pay them the same amount as those who were hired at the beginning
of the day. At the end of the day when the laborers were being paid many
complained that those hired at the last hour of the day received the same
amount as those hired in the morning as being unfair Jesus answered them with
this statement; “My friend, I am not
being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? Take your earnings and
go. I choose to pay the last comer as much as I pay you. Have I no right to do
what I like with my own? Why be envious because I am generous?” Thus the last
will be first, and the first, last.”
The lesson for us is quite simple, it does
not matter when we decide to live according to Christ’s teachings, nor does it
matter at what hour of our lives we call upon God to be with us, God will
accept us with love and forgiveness and welcome us into the heavenly kingdom.
The only requirement that is needed to
receive the same reward as those who have labored faithfully from the beginning
is desire to be a true follower of Christ and then for us to actually live
according to Christ’s teachings.
To live as Christ taught means to have
compassion for the sick, poor, aged and reach out to help them. We need to be
fair and honest in all our personal and business dealings. We must speak out against injustice and
demand equality for everyone.
Our world is facing many challenges and
has far too often rejected many of these principals. Wars are being waged unjustly and with tragic
results. Some nations seek to dominate
others and greed and materialism have replaced compassion and justice.
In the United States, our government is
proposing laws that will give tax breaks to the super rich while also
advocating cuts in programs that help the poor, elderly and sick have bare
minimum quality of life.
Seniors on fixed incomes buying power has
lost more than 50% in the last 10 years while the percentage or millionaires
have increased greatly.
The government has cut the food stamp
allocation claiming the cost of living has gone down while every food item in
the stores has gone up by more than 10%.
To be a true follower of Christ one must
always be aware of the needs of those less fortunate and make sure they are
cared for adequately.
A True follower of Christ would welcome
all who came to seek God with open arms and not reject them or drive them
away. A Person who loves God would love
all God’s children as God and Christ love.
No follower of Christ would cause any child harm or abuse them. The aged
and sick would be cared for and receive affordable quality medical and dental
care.
If we are to “Seek the Lord while he is still to be found, call to him while he is
still near” we need to heed Christ’s teachings and insure that we do all in
our power to make the adjustments in our society that are needed so that we, as
a nation, can live up to the motto “One
Nation, under God, with liberty and justice FOR ALL” and truly be a country
that lives and practices what our founding fathers envisioned when they wrote
these words in the Declaration of Independence “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” and in the Constitution of our country; “We
the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union,
establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense,
promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves
and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United
States of America”
Let us all pray that those who claim to be
followers of Christ, and those who worship the one God, creator of all, will
reflect on the teachings of Christ,
Buddha, Mohammad, Gandhi, and all those who have advocated peace, brotherhood,
mercy, compassion and love over injustice, war, poverty and dissention. Let us “Seek the Lord while he is still to be
found, call to him while he is still near” AMEN
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