Readings: Wisdom 18:6-9; Heb.
11:1-2, 8-19; Lk 12:32-48
To Whom Much is Given Much is
Expected
The
theme of our readings today is Faith. Abraham is our father in the faith. He
was not given that title for nothing. He was tested time and time again by God,
but his faith was unshaken. The first reading relates how the children of
Israel waited in faith to be led out of the land of slavery in Egypt to the
promised land. They put their faith in their leader, Moses, and followed his
sense of direction, believing that God was in control of their destiny. Faith
therefore, is defined in the second reading as “the realization of what is hoped
for and evidence of things not seen”. The Catechism of the Church notes that “faith
is both a gift of God and a human act in response to God. In faith, the human
intellect and will cooperate with divine grace. Believing is an act of the
intellect assenting to the divine truth by command of the will moved by God
through grace”. So, we can say that because Abraham cooperated with the grace
of God it made it, not easy, but possible for him to obey God.
Our
faith should make us responsive to the needs of others. Believing in God should
not make us to be afraid of God but to be ready and willing to obey his command
in preparation for the kingdom. Hence, the Gospel addresses us as little flock
who should rejoice because it has pleased our Lord to bestow the kingdom on us.
This promise should help us keep vigil at all times since we do not know
exactly when the Lord will come to take us home. We should gird our loins and
be prepared. We should not be busy storing up treasures for ourselves but share
what we have with others. We should be on our duty posts at all times as
servants awaiting the arrival of their master. Spending our time in idleness,
concentrating on acts injurious to our calling as disciples, harboring grudges,
and being unnecessarily anxious about material things will rob us of the
quality time we should spend doing good.
Since
our faith is a gift from God, we should treasure it and strive to share it with
others. We have been gifted with gifts like: intelligence, counseling,
teaching, singing, helping, educating, etc. we are to put these gifts at the
service of others. If not, we will answer for it before the judgment throne of
God. To whom much is given, much will be
demanded. We must put our faith to the test as God tested Abraham. Our faith
must be living, practical and trustworthy. In Abraham, we see a man who, it
seemed, hoped against hope but never gave up. Abraham was instructed to move to
a land that he did not know, he put his faith and trust in God and obeyed
without questioning. He and his wife were long past the age of child bearing
but God showed up when they list expected and rewarded them with a son, Isaac.
Even with Isaac as the sole inheritor of Abraham’s inheritance, God demanded
that Abraham should offer him in sacrifice. He obeyed without a doubt. But God
stopped him and provided a ram for the sacrifice instead of his son. God made a
promise to Abraham and assured him that he will be with him and his descendants
always and that they should be faithful to him. God never negates on his
promises, but we constantly turn our backs on God. Jesus renews this promise today.
Fear not, he urges us. We can choose to live in faith, hope, joy and peace,
knowing that God is always with us, or we can lead a life of fear and anxiety,
not trusting in God and being fearful of one another. The Choice is ours.
Today
Jesus impressed upon us the need to have a strong faith. If our faith is
strong, then we have nothing to be afraid of, nothing should shake or disturb
us. We would be like Abraham who lived in peace and without fear because he
trusted in the Lord. “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which
cannot be shaken but endures forever” (Ps. 125:1). No matter the demands of our
faith and what God asks of us, we believe in the Lord who promised us the
kingdom, and we respond with love. We know that He will always be faithful and
true to his promises, for he is the lord who never fails.
Let
us pray that we may make use of the gifts God has given us and live a fear-free
life. Our life of prayer, commitment to our baptismal promises, our fidelity to
one another will guarantee us the kingdom promised us by Christ himself. May we
be admitted into that kingdom when we are called home to be with the Lord.
Amen.
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