October 30, 2022; 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

Readings: Wisdom 11:22 – 12:2; 2 Thes.1:11 – 2:2; Lk 19:1-10

 

God Loves Us and Forgives Us Even When We Sin

 

1.    God loves us. He created us out of love. The book of wisdom reminds us of this fact: “But you have mercy on all because you can do all things, and you overlook people’s sins that they may repent. For you love all things that are and loathe nothing that you have made; for what you hated, you would not have fashioned.” Nothing created by God is loathsome before him. When we sin, God rebukes, “Offenders little by little, warn them and remind them of the sins they are committing, that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in you, O Lord!”

 

2.    In Luke 18:9-14, we read of two men who went to the temple to pray. We reflected on the Pharisee as he prayed to himself. He had no need of God. On the other hand, the tax collector found mercy and was justified. His humility showed his need for God. Today we are presented with another tax collector – Zacchaeus. He was a Jew, a son of Abraham, and a member of God’s chosen people. Despite his status, his profession as a tax collector brought him indignity and notoriety. It reduced him to a public sinner and the enemy of the people. He was wealthy but without recognition and respect. He was despised and ridiculed. His being small in stature was more than a physical appearance. He was nobody. He had a lot of money but no salvation.

 

3.    Zacchaeus would have heard about Jesus and how he cared for the poor, the rejected, the nobodies, the despised, the tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners. On hearing that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, passing through Jericho, Zacchaeus was anxious to meet Him. But then there was his height and the crowd. Zacchaeus was a short man. The crowd could represent so many things. It could be the barriers that could prevent him from pursuing his goal. It could be fear of the people. Or fear of rejection and his height. Oh, the fault-finding crowd, the finger-pointing crowd, the unforgiving crowd, the self-righteous crowd. People in the crowd wanted to take revenge on him and felt he had betrayed their race by working for the Romans. Others felt that Zacchaeus’s riches deprived them of their wealth. This was an intimidating crowd indeed! But Zacchaeus was determined to see Jesus. So, he climbed a tree, away from the crowd, to catch a glimpse of Jesus.

 

4.    By climbing the tree, Zacchaeus changed the battleground. He sought a greater power from above and appealed for God’s mercy. Take your fight into the spiritual realm by praying, and God will take over your battles and fight for you. Don’t fight the enemy in his comfort zone; change the battleground and let God take charge. You’ll be assured of clean victory. Zacchaeus took his fight up the sycamore tree. He changed the battlefield, and the Lord Jesus found him up there and made him an offer he could not refuse. “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house. Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.” (Lk. 19:5-9). 

 

5.    One can only imagine the joy of this sinner who found favor with the Lord. Zacchaeus may have been one of the reasons Christ passed through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem. He had unfinished business there, to seek and find he who was lost. Christ is always searching for the sick, the sinner, and the lonely; to restore them to their appropriate state in life and give them the grace they desperately need. He knows our weaknesses, He understands our faults, He sees our hearts, and he knows those who seek Him with a sincere heart. He thirsts for our love and calls us to a new life. Today Salvation has come to this house. There is joy in Heaven over a sinner who repents than the ninety-nine who do not need repentance. (Lk. 15:7). 

 

6.    Despite the grumbling of the crowd that Christ dared to enter the house of a sinner, Zacchaeus renounces his possessions: “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I shall repay it four times over.” Regardless of what the crowd thought of him, he made restitution and promised to pay back those who felt cheated or defrauded. He needed Christ more than wealth, so he would give it away to have Christ. By his action, Zacchaeus reechoed the words of St. Paul, “I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Philippians 3:8). He showed his gratitude to Christ by accepting to live like Christ. 

 

7.    Christ calls on us to repent of our sins and embrace His life of grace. We may be confronted by the crowd, but Zacchaeus has shown us the way. Take your fight away from the crowd, change the battleground and allow Christ to find you. Accept His invitation, welcome Him to your house, and let Him eat with you. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me.” (Rev. 3:20). “And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me” (Jn. 6:39).

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

October 23, 2022; 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

Readings: Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18; 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18; Lk 18:9-14

 

He Who Looks Up to God Looks Down on No One

1.      “Pride goes before the fall” is a saying that means if one is too arrogant or self-important, something will happen to make one look foolish. This captures the attitude of the Pharisee, one of the two men who went to pray in the temple in today’s Gospel. Pharisees were members of a party that believed in the resurrection. They followed legal traditions ascribed not to the Bible but to “the traditions of the fathers.” They were laypeople who tried to keep God’s law as perfectly and scrupulously as possible. They went above and beyond the law in the performance of their spiritual practice. Hence, they looked down upon anyone who failed to live up to their standards.

 

2.      The prayer in the Gospel is typical of a pharisaic prayer. “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity – greedy, dishonest, adulterous – even like this tax collector.” (Lk. 18:11). Rabbi Simeon ben Jocai once said, “If there are only two righteous men in the world, my son and I are these two; if there is only one, I am he!” So being puritanical and scrupulous, the Pharisee may have done all that he said he did. He may not have cheated anyone and was not adulterous. He fasted, prayed many times a day, paid tithes on all he had, and more, but he said the prayers of himself and to himself, not God. He was not humble but conceited. He was like a peacock who flashed his beautiful colored tail feathers for everyone to see how handsome he was. He was ostentatious, boastful, proud, and selfish. He called attention to himself! His was not prayer, but a list of accomplishments, expecting God to praise him. He gave his advertisement for his glorious achievements and expected to be congratulated and rewarded. He demonstrated that he had no need for God. In fact, he felt God needed him more than he needed God to show the world what true holiness looks like. True prayer should be directed to God and God alone. God does not require a record of our good works. He knows them all. Instead, He needs us to have a contrite heart that is forgiving, caring, loving, compassionate, and merciful. Not condescending, boastful, arrogant, and spiteful. Such a heart is loathsome to God. That is why the Pharisee was not justified before God.  

  

3.      The proud place themselves at a distance from others, and seen through that distance, others perhaps appear little to them, even contemptible, as the tax collector appeared to the Pharisee. “I thank God that I am not like…this tax collector.” How morally contemptuous his words are! Moral contempt is far greater indignity and insult than any crime. We can feel good about our gifts, but genuine self-esteem is ruined by arrogant self-righteousness that judges others. “The prayer of the humble pierces the cloud and does not rest till it reaches its goal.” (Sir. 35:17).  

 

4.      This brings us to the tax collector and his prayer. Tax collectors, though Jews, were public employees of the Romans. They collected taxes and sent them to Rome, but they had to pay themselves by collecting more than stipulated. They made quite a decent living for themselves but also gained a bad reputation. They were despised, hated, and considered public sinners. The tax collector knew who he was and was aware that God knew him too. Since he had no friends, he depended on God for everything, so with a heavy heart, he went in to pray. The poor man could not raise his eyes to God, unworthy as he was. He knew that he who looked up to God would receive mercy and forgiveness. He cannot afford to look down on or judge anyone. He beat his breast and prayed for mercy. He saw himself as ‘the sinner.’ It was that heartbroken, self-despising prayer that won him acceptance before God. He was at peace with God because of his humility. For no proud man can pray to God.

 

5.      Today’s liturgy warns us against comparing ourselves to human beings. Anyone who compares himself to God recognizes his sins, weakness, shortcomings, and limitations. He knows that he needs God’s mercy, so he is humble. We should always compare ourselves to God. Our yearning should always be how to please God, not human beings. All we are and have, are pure grace and free gifts from God. Therefore, we must look down on no one, but with the strength, we have been given by God, we should work hard to lift people up. Our unredeemed self tends to be selfish and self-centered. But our redeemed self is Christ-centered and people-centered. The people we consider contemptible are equally loved by God. The beggar in the street, the homeless, the poor, and immigrants deserve our love and respect.  If we place our life side by side with Christ, we discover that we are not as holy as we think. Hence, we must see ourselves as God sees us, sinners, who need forgiveness and mercy. We will then see ourselves as the tax collector at prayer, and we will soon join him to say: “Lord be merciful to me, the sinner.” Our redemption begins in knowing that we are not better than anyone. We are who we are simply by the grace of God. May God be merciful to us, sinners. Amen!

 

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

October 16, 2022, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, (Year C)

Readings: Exodus 17:8-13; 2 Timothy 3:13-14 4:2; Lk 18:1-18

 

Pray And Don’t Give Up

1.    In today’s first reading, we see the children of Israel at war with Amalek. Moses took his stand on a great hill and, lifting up his hands, implored God’s aid for his people. Moses had the support of friends to assist him when his hands were tired. We need the help of one another in our prayers. The encouragement we give to others, letting them know that we pray for them, may help them to cultivate a healthy prayer life. In the Gospel, Jesus demonstrated with the story of the unjust judge the need to persist in prayer until the Father hears us. The widow was not discouraged from going to the unjust judge until her demands were met. God, our Father, is not an unjust judge. He is a merciful Father who knows the needs of his children and will always provide for them in His time and in the manner best suited for them.

 

2.    Our prayers are efficacious and are always answered. Even ‘No’ is an answer to a prayer. Jesus asked us to be persistent in prayer. He did not guarantee that our prayers would be answered in the way and at the time we wanted. He asked for humility and faith but gave no assurance for an instant answer. He promised a reward at the end of persistent prayer, not swift positive favors. He asked for commitment, not empty promises. The faith and commitment requested of us come from bearing trials and persecutions while remaining hopeful and joyful. God’s plans for us will come to pass in His time. It may be delayed but never be denied.

 

3.    Prayer without movement toward its realization is a waste of time. It is a depletion of helpful energy. God will not do for us what we can and should do for ourselves. If you pray for God’s favor, create favorable conditions around you. A student who did not prepare for a test should not expect a successful outcome just because he prayed for it. He should study and pray to remember what he learned on the test day. Then God will crown his effort with success.

 

4.    Have faith. St. James says, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it. But he should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. That person must not suppose he will receive anything from the Lord since he is a man of two minds, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1: 5-8). Faith and trust in God are necessary ingredients for prayer.

 

5.    Know what to ask for in prayer. Ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit. St. James asks: “Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? You do not possess because you do not ask. You ask but do not receive because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (4:1-4). “If you, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him?” (Luke 11:13:). “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Lk. 18:8). 

 

6.    Ask for wisdom. God said to Solomon, “Ask something of me, and I will give it to you.” Solomon answered, “Give your servant an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.” (Verse 9). The Lord was pleased with Solomon’s request; he gave him wisdom and other things he did not ask for. Be specific in your request, do not ask for too many things at one prayer time. After all, God knows all your needs. Therefore, seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first, and He will provide for all your other needs. (Matt. 6:33).  

 

7.    Have a forgiving heart. Forgiveness is a condition for a fruitful prayer. Jesus said, “When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance so that your heavenly Father may, in turn, forgive you your transgressions?” (Mk. 11:25-26). Isaiah said: “Lo, the hand of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. Rather, it is your crimes that separate you from your God. It is your sins that make him hide his face so that he will not hear you” (59:1-2). 

 

8.    Be patient. Prayers are sometimes answered progressively. When Jesus cured the blind man at Bethsaida, he did not see right away but gradually. “‘Do you see anything?’ he replied, ‘I see people looking like trees and walking’” (Mk. 8:23-26). It was by laying his hands on his eyes a second time that the blind man saw clearly. Be patient and wait on the Lord. Hence, Jesus tells us to pray in ‘Our Father’ for the will of God to be done, not ours. A wise saying has it thus, “Prayer is not a device for getting our wills done through heaven, but a desire that God’s will may be done on earth through us.” Pray and wait for God’s time, not yours. Our prayers are always answered if we know how and what to ask. God is not unjust, He is not unconcerned with our problems, and He is not as far away from us as we may think. Instead, we are the ones who, sometimes, turn away from God and feel He delays in giving an immediate answer to our prayer. Whether we receive a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’ answer, know that all prayers are answered. Remember to return to the Lord with thanks. Be blessed! 

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

October 09, 2022; 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

Readings: 2 Kings 5:14-17; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Lk 17:11-19

 

How Do You See the World? With Gratitude or With Disappointment?

 

1.    The Eucharist is the greatest act of thanksgiving we can ever render to God. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “The Eucharist, the sacrament of our salvation accomplished by Christ on the cross, is also a sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for the work of creation. In the Eucharistic sacrifice, the whole of creation loved by God is presented to the Father through the death and the Resurrection of Christ. Through Christ, the Church can offer the sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for all that God had made good, beautiful, and just in creation and in humanity.” It explains further, “The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all his benefits, for all that he has accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification. Eucharist means, first of all, “thanksgiving.” At Mass, we gather around the Eucharistic table as a family of God’s people to give thanks to God for the gift of life, for good health, for our families, for friends, for our nation, and for everything God has done for us.” (CCC nos.1359 and 1360)  

 

2.    Isn’t it surprising that our church is not full to capacity, with standing rooms only, with grateful people singing God’s praises for the blessings received? The empty pews raise questions in our minds. Could Christ be asking us the same question he asked the Samaritan leper cured of his leprosy in today’s gospel reading? “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Being grateful to God for the blessings received should come to us naturally. And so should it be, with favors received from brothers, sisters, and friends. Unfortunately, we live in a world where selfishness, self-centeredness, and greed have created a false sense of entitlement, making us feel that what we have is ours by right. Therefore, it is more challenging to appreciate the contributions others have made toward our successes in life. Criss Jami got it right when he observed, “Man is not, by nature, deserving of all he wants. When we think that we are automatically entitled to something, that is when we start walking all over others to get it.”  

 

3.    This brings us to today’s readings. Two men, a foreigner and an outsider are presented to us to teach us the importance of gratitude. Outsiders, whether Samaritans or lepers are the special focus of the ministry of Jesus. This is because they were open to seeing God at work in a way ordinary believers are not. After his healing, Naaman recognized the special status of Israel’s saving Lord and declared, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel.” The sincere gratitude of Naaman towards the God of Israel and his prophet Elisha brought him a gift far more precious than the healing of his leprosy. He received faith in God and was determined to serve God faithfully. “If you will not accept (the gift he brought), please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth, for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except to the Lord.” (Gospel reading). Obedience to the prophet healed him, and his faith in God brought him healing of his sins. Humility obtained for him the cure of his skin disease. Gratitude to God gave him a far greater grace: faith in the true God. Jesus was pleased to see one of those lepers, the Samaritan, coming back to him, praising God for the favor received. He wondered why the other nine had not done the same. He expected them back, not because he wanted to receive their gratitude to enable Him to complete His work of love, of which their healing was only the first step: to bring them to faith.

 

4.    How do you receive the world? With gratitude or with disappointment? We may be disappointed with the world and everyone because things do not go our way. We may feel that the world is so messed up that we have no reason to thank God for anything. Be that as it may, we should always receive the world with gratitude in our hearts regardless of where we find ourselves in life. We must also teach our children to appreciate and show gratitude for the blessings and favors received. Children don’t learn politeness from a Geography lesson. They learn it from their parents. Saying ‘Thank you costs us nothing but gives us everything.

 

5.    Today’s readings remind us to thank God for his love and mercy towards us. We must teach our children not to take anything and anybody for granted. Everything we have is a gift freely given by God. God uses people to help us in our endeavors. If we have been ungrateful in the past, we can always change. So King Lear may not say of us, “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child.” We can never pay off the debt of gratitude we owe to many men and women who have assisted us on the way to becoming the men and women we are today. How easily we forget that a friend, a teacher, a doctor, a surgeon, or a colleague has done something for us which is impossible to repay. But the tragedy is that we often do not even try to repay it. “Blow, blow, thou winter wind, thou are not so unkind as man’s ingratitude.” (William Shakespeare: ‘As you like it).

 

6.    The questions for today: who am I? Am I always grateful to God for his blessings? Or will Christ say of me, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?” Have I taught my children to say ‘Thank you for blessings received? Or have they got a false sense of entitlement from my behavior and inability to be thankful? Maybe we could set aside some minutes this week to have each family member thank God for some special things that happened during the day. This should not only be done during Thanksgiving Day once a year. We have reasons to be grateful daily. Count your blessings, one by one, and you will be surprised by what God has done for you. Giving thanks to God for all His blessings should be the most distinctive mark of a Christian. May the spirit of ingratitude not harden our hearts and chill our relationship with God and others. Let us pray with the poet George Herbert: “O God, you have given us so much. Give us one thing more – a grateful heart.” Amen. 

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

October 02, 2022; 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

Readings: Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4 2; Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14; Lk 17:5-10

 

Patience is a Virtue Worth Cultivating.

1.    Today’s first reading is taken from the book of Habakkuk, believed to have been written in the mid-to-late 7th century BC, not long before the Babylonians’ siege and capture of Jerusalem in 586 BC. The prophet was troubled by the violence and cruelty of the Babylonians. He wondered why the Lord was silent. “So why are you silent while they destroy people who are more righteous than they?” (1:13). But the Lord told him to be patient, that he would act in his own time; meanwhile, he urged him to have Faith. “Those who are righteous will live because they are faithful to God.”(2:4). Faith and trust go hand in hand. It is not as if God is unaware of the plight of his people, but we must trust him to act in his own time. We must keep to our lane and allow God to operate in his. Yes, we sometimes feel like Habakkuk. We are frustrated and disillusioned amid destruction and bloodshed in our lands. When we hear of kidnapping, persecution and the killing of Christians during Mass or Church services, and other acts of violence committed inside the church, we wonder if God cares about us. It seems as if God has allowed us to kill and maim each other as we please. Our Faith is tested, if not shaken, in the face of so much hatred and disregard for one another, and we feel like crying out with Habakkuk, “How long, O Lord? I cry for help, but you do not listen! I cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not intervene.” 

 

2.    But God tells us to be faithful. In other words, He wants us to have Faith. Faith is defined as “the realization of what is hoped for, and evidence of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1). The Catechism of the Catholic Church, on the other hand, 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.” We can obey God because we cooperate with His grace. Our Faith makes us ready and willing to do God’s will. In the Gospel, the apostles asked Jesus to increase their Faith. To answer their request, Christ warned them against being the cause of scandal or being a stumbling block for others. He acknowledged that it was impossible to construct a world without temptations, but woe to that man who taught another to sin or took away another’s innocence; “So watch what you do!” Then Jesus speaks of the necessity of forgiveness in the life of Christians. He tells them to forgive seven times. The difficulty of putting this teaching into practice made the apostles ask for an increase in Faith. Without Faith and grace, it is impossible to obey God’s command or put his teaching into practice. Jesus said, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” Faith is the most powerful force the world has ever known. If we have Faith, we can do the impossible. Our Faith depends not on the size or quantity but on quality and effectiveness. With Faith, the impossible becomes possible. If we approach any task with the belief that it cannot be done, it will probably not be done; but if we come to it saying, “It must be done,” the chances are that it will be done.    

 

3.    Faith is not jumping to conclusions; it is concluding to jump into the arms of God our Father, who loves us unconditionally. It is accepting that Jesus is the Son of God and believing in the words he spoke and in his power. It is “By this faith a just man lives.” (Gal. 3:11). This is the Faith that can draw poison from every grief, take the sting from every loss, and quench the fire of every pain. This Faith can be compared, as Jesus does, to a “tiny mustard seed.” Because the power of the seed does not depend on its size but on the life hidden within itself, the power of our Faith does not depend on its quantity but on its quality. Faith and trust in the power of God can transform our lives and enable us to struggle against sins in ourselves and avoid causing scandal in others. It will make it possible to forgive all the hurts done to us and help us wait on God to act on our behalf. Our Faith must be living, practical, and trustworthy. It is formed by our baptism, making it possible to do everything for God and not for ourselves. It is about God and not me. God must increase while I decrease. Yes, I am only an unprofitable servant; I have done what I was obliged to do and nothing more.

 

4.    Paul reminds Timothy in the second reading not to forget the gifts of the Holy Spirit he received when he was ordained a minister. “I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim. 1:6-7). Timothy should not be intimidated by the hardships, opposition, and difficulties he encountered in Ephesus. These should not deter or dampen his spirit but strengthen his Faith to remain strong and resolute in his mission. The apostles, too, sensed the difficulties of their mission and so cried out for an increase of Faith. 

 

5.    Following in the footsteps of Christ is never easy! It was not easy for Christ to do His Father’s will either. But Jesus urged us to have strong Faith. If our Faith is strong, we should be afraid of nothing. “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.” (Ps. 125:1). Christians must fight the good fight and yet be humble enough to say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done what our duty was.” Our baptism incorporates us into the life of Christ and enables us to carry out our Christian duties without seeking reward. In facing difficulties, violence, persecution, and tribulation, we must wait on the Lord. “I waited patiently for the Lord’s help; then he listened to me and heard my cry. He pulled me out of a dangerous pit, out of the deadly quicksand. He set me safely on a rock and made me secure.” (Ps. 40:1-2). May we be committed to a life of prayer, our baptismal vows, and our call to be missionary disciples. May God increase our Faith so that we may not be intimidated by the troubles of this world. Amen.

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

September 25, 2022; 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

Readings: Amos 6:1, 4-7; 1 Tim. 6:11-16; Lk 16:19-31.

 

The Lazarus at our Door

1.      Prophet Amos lashed out at the rich last Sunday for exploiting the poor. He was direct and uncompromising. He warned the children of Israel that the Lord would punish them through a military disaster because of their social injustice and religious arrogance. Amos was from the South and preached in the North. He warned that due to the lifestyle of the people, the impending disaster would affect the rich and the poor alike. Amos is on it again today, warning the rich who feasted sumptuously and enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle that they “Shall be the first to go into exile, and their wanton revelry shall be done away with.” The rich did not care about the poor; they took no notice of them except to exploit them to advance their selfish interests.

 

2.      In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man dressed in purple (royalty) and fine linen clothes; and feasted on exotic and costly dishes and drank expensive wine. And there was Lazarus, ‘God is my help.’ Lazarus was a homeless, disabled beggar so sick that he could not drive away dogs that came to lick his sores. He survived on the leftovers that fell from the rich man’s table. Although Lazarus would make his way to the rich man’s gate day in and day out, he did not notice him. The only time the rich man noticed Lazarus was when he saw him in the afterlife on the bosom of Abraham. While the rich man was laughing, rejoicing, and celebrating on earth, Lazarus was in agony. But in heaven, Lazarus rejoiced while the rich man suffered in hell. And Christ warned: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. But woe to you who are rich, for you, have received your consolation. But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep.” (Lk. 6:20-25). 

 

3.      But what was the rich man’s sin? What was his crime? And why was he in hell? The rich man did not kick Lazarus out, shout at him, or prevent him from sitting by his gate. The parable said nothing about the source of his wealth. Being rich was a blessing from God. Psalm 112:3 tells us: “Wealth and riches shall be in their homes; their prosperity shall endure forever.” And Deuteronomy 8:18 assures us, “It is the Lord, your God, who gives you the power to acquire wealth, by fulfilling, as he has now done, the covenant which he swore to your fathers.” 

 

4.      The only crime that sent the rich man to hell was that he did not care; he did not notice his fellow man is dying in abject poverty. He failed to see Lazarus at his door! He did nothing to alleviate his pain and suffering or remedy his situation. He saw Lazarus as part of the landscape in front of his gate. He lacked the human decency to pursue a life of holiness by taking care of his fellow man in need. He failed to do what Paul urged Timothy to do in the second reading. “But you, a man of God…pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life.” (1 Tim. 6:11-12). He failed to obey the commandment of love. He did nothing! It was the sin of omission that sent the rich man to hell. We contribute to the sufferings of the poor by doing nothing to help them in their poverty! 

 

5.      We often feel that the poor deserve their state in life. We seem to think that they remain in poverty because they are lazy. M.K.O. Abiola said better, “If I am the richest man, living among the poorest of the poor, I am the poorest of them all.” How easy we forget that the rich should help the poor in this world while the poor will benefit the rich in the next. “He raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.’” Hell is real! If we refuse to notice Lazarus in our family, community, society, world, and gates, we may end up in hell like the rich man. Can we see Lazarus at our doors? They are everywhere, but can we see them? They are needy people, hurting people who need our attention and want us to help them with school fees. They are panhandlers on the street corners, and they sleep under bridges. Can you see the hurt in their eyes? They need us! Do not wait for the reversal of fortunes to notice; it may be too late then. J. F. Kennedy reminds us that “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.” 

 

6.      Finally, it seems odd that the rich man’s request that his brothers be warned was refused. Isn’t it true that if men possess the truth of God’s word, and if wherever they look, there is a sorrow to be comforted, need to be supplied, pain to be relieved, and they are not moved to do anything, or take action to alleviate their sufferings? Nothing can change them, even if someone should come from the dead? The rich man went to hell because of the sin of omission; we commit the sin of omission too. May we notice the Lazarus at our doors so we may not join the rich man in his pity party held in hell. Amen! 

 

 

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

September 18, 2022; 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

Readings: Amos 8:4-7; 1 Tim. 2:1-8; Lk 16:1-13.

The Poor You Help May Get You into Heaven

1.        The phrase, ‘What would Jesus do?’ makes us think and feel like Jesus in every respect, especially in dealing with the poor. It focuses our minds on how Jesus and his followers view social issues, such as helping the poor, inequality, and charitable work. Some Catholic Theologians used the term Liberation Theology to grapple with these issues. In 1971 Rev. Gustavo Gutierrez, a Latin American priest wrote a book titled A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics, Salvation. The basic premise of this theology explains that textual and oral sources reveal God’s love of the poor and outcast. These claims refer to the stories of Jesus’s association with the poor, oppressed, undesirable, and prostitutes. From 1950 to the 80s, priests, men, women, and children were humiliated, persecuted, and killed in Latin America. The Liberation Theologians opted for the poor and preached against the governments’ repressive regime. Many men and women were equally subjected to inhumane treatment because they saw the liberation theologians as their liberators, and they hung on their words. Women were raped and abused, and young men were humiliated, beaten, and persecuted. Monsenor Oscar Romero, Archbishop of El Salvador, was assassinated while celebrating Mass on March 24, 1980, in the hospital chapel of Divine Providence. He was called an advocate for justice and the voice for the poor during the turbulent times leading to the El Salvador civil war. Men like Gustavo Gutierrez of Peru, Leonardo Boff of Brazil, Juan Luis Segundo of Uruguay, Archbishop Helder Cámara of Brazil, and Jon Sobrino of Spain, to mention but a few suffered ignominy because of their stand and were persecuted even by the Church. They popularized the phrase preferential option for the poor because they believed that God speaks mainly through the poor and that the Bible can be understood only as seen from the perspective of the poor.

2.        Reflecting on today’s first reading from Prophet Amos, I cannot help but think of the South Americans who struggled and fought for freedom and justice. Unfortunately, our world today is not too different from what they went through, and the message of Amos is still very relevant to us. In many nations of the world, the poor are still hounded, traumatized, stigmatized, pushed around, put in cages, slammed into prisons, and out of sight. There seems to be a collective sense of helplessness among those of us who should speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves. Today, Amos is addressing a situation like ours where giant corporations have bought the government, fossil fuel companies, the gun lobby, health insurance companies, and drug companies have taken control of the economy. The poor and the powerless are thrown under the bus. It is true that where greed and injustice prevail, revolt, anarchy, and protest are the result, and the brunt of it would be borne by the poor.

3.        The message of Amos is as urgent today as it was in his days. “Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land! We will buy the lowly for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals.” (8:4-7). Amos lived and preached at the time of material and financial prosperity in Israel. In his days, the rich amassed wealth, ruthlessly exploiting and cheating the poor. Fraud and deception were common in businesses and banking, and the lawyers worked for the vested interests of the wealthy rather than for justice. City life was corrupt, and religion was just a routine, a farce, a sham, and shameful. In their affluence, the children of Israel lost faith in God. The Sabbath and the new moon, which were supposed to be days of prayer and rest, were resented as an interruption in pursuing money. All caution, a sense of decency in business, and the care of ordinary people were thrown to the wind. It was like St. Paul warned the Philippians, “For many conducts themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their shame. Their minds are occupied with earthly things.” (4:18-20).

4.        Amos’ warning was frank, direct, precise, and decisive: “The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Never will I forget a thing they have done!” He called the people back to the wholeness of life and solidarity as one people under God. He reminded them of the futility of their fancy liturgies and solemn assemblies as long as they kept exploiting the poor. According to the psalmist, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Ps. 34:18). The mission of Christ is clear and straightforward: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” (Lk. 4:18-19).  

5.        The parable of Jesus in today’s Gospel does not, in any way, praise the craftiness and the attitude of the dishonestly honest steward for his sleaziness, laziness, and shady bookkeeping. Oh no! He commends, instead, his ingenuity and willingness to foresee and do whatever it took to ensure a prosperous future for himself when he still had time and ability to do so. “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.” (v.8). He, in fact, did what Christ urged us to do: “Make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” (v.9). But our friend’s immediate concern was not eternal life, it was about how to make ends meet. We should be willing to do whatever it takes to attend eternal life.

6.        The Gospel reminds us that whatever we have is given to us for the benefit of all. Our wealth is a blessing from God only to the extent that we detach ourselves from them and are willing to share them with others. Our use of money must always be related to social justice and personal responsibility. Our worship of God must influence the way we live. This is the only way we will be entrusted with eternal life. Those we assist on earth will plead on our behalf on the day of judgment. “Whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matt. 25:40). This is the kind of world Amos and the Liberation Theologians dreamt of: the world where the resources are equitably shared and made available to all. According to Dom Halder Camara, “Without justice and love, peace will always be a great illusion.” It is in the recognition that God has blessed the world with abundance to be enjoyed by all that peace, justice, and equity will prevail.  

7.        The readings leave us with a few lessons to ponder to “Lead quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity,” according to St. Paul in the second reading. First of all, we must be men and women of prayer. “I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone and that in every place, the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.” Prayer must not only be the concern of women and children, but men should also be prayer warriors. Secondly, let us be serious about the things of God. That means Christians must be as eager and ingenious in their attempt to attain goodness as the man of the world is in his desire to make money and live a comfortable life. We spend money and time on what we treasure: hobbies, pets, and sports. We should do same with prayer and our pursuit of spiritual things. Third, let us use things and possessions to cement our relationship with others, especially the poor. They are the ones who will secure our life of peace with God. The rich should help the poor in this world, while the poor will plead for the rich in the next. And finally, since we cannot serve two masters, God, and money, we must choose one. If we choose God, know that there is no spare time for ourselves since all our time belongs to God. God is our most exclusive master. We either belong to him totally or not at all. May God give us the strength to choose him above and beyond all else. Amen.

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP