July 31, 2022; 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time; Year (C)

Readings: Eccl. 1:2; 2:21-23; Col 3:1-5, 9-11; Lk 12:13-21

 

In His Riches, Man Lacks Wisdom!

1.    Today’s readings address the rich and those who pursue wealth as their only reason for existence. Vanity of vanities, all things are vanity. Vanity means the quality of being worthless or futile. A vain person is excessively proud of his admiration, appearance, and achievements. The Preacher, in the first reading, wants us to reflect on the futility, uselessness, pointlessness, and fruitlessness of life and the pursuit of wealth. Our labor is fruitless if our only purpose of existence is to amass wealth for ourselves alone. “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” (Mk. 8:36). No matter how rich we may be and how contented our achievements may make us feel, we will, one day, leave it all to others. 

 

2.    The second reading, on the other hand, offers us a solution to a life of vanity. It encourages us to set our hearts on the next life where we hope to see God face to face. “If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above; not what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ. When Christ your life appears, you will also appear with him in glory.” (Col. 3:1-4). We may be whatever we want and achieve whatever we dream, but we must not lose sight of the reason for our existence. The Penny Catechism reminds us that we were created to know, love, and serve God in this world and be happy with him in the next. Therefore, we must put immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed to death. We must stop lying and be sincere and honest in our dealings with others.

                    

3.    Jesus addresses greed in today’s gospel. Greed has blinded many people and turned them into narcissistic, arrogant, selfish, haughty, conceited, self-important, opinionated, egotistic, and superior individuals. They are admirable only by themselves and their cronies while being despicable and intolerable to others. They only think of themselves. Everything is about them. “I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods, and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years; rest, eat, drink, be merry!” But Christ warns: “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” How much is enough for the rich? Why can’t they read the signs of the time and learn from the wisdom of Job? “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there.” (Job 1:21). How do we store up riches for ourselves to be rich in what matters to God? Christ tells us how, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” (Mt. 6:19-21). We do this by sharing what we have with those who have not. We are only stewards of our wealth. In sharing what we have with others, we give to God, and our treasures are stored up in heaven. These readings affirm that we brought nothing into this world and will take nothing out of it. “Those who trust in their wealth and boast of the vastness of their riches should know that no man can buy his own ransom or pay the price to God for his life. He cannot buy life without end nor avoid coming to the grave. He knows that wise men and fools must both perish and leave their wealth to others.” (Ps. 49). 

 

4.    There is a story that captures the essence of today’s readings: Alexander the Great was the emperor of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He led many military campaigns and created one of the largest empires, stretching from Greek to India. Alexander did this all while he was about 30 years old. While on his death bed, he thought of the vast empire he had built, every spoil of war he captured, and the might of his military machine. He went into depression, realizing nothing was worth it; even after a highly successful life, he could not avoid death. He wanted to see his mother for the last time before he departed, but he knew he would not be able to do it and would soon pass away. So, he called his loyal Generals and made three last wishes before dying. I have three last wishes, please carry them out, for soon I will depart. My first wish is that my doctors should alone carry my coffin. My second wish is that the path towards my grave shall be strewn with gold, silver, and all the precious possessions in my treasury at the same time my body is being brought to be buried. My third and last wish is that both my hands shall be kept dangling out of my coffin.

 

5.    The Generals startled and asked Alexander about the strange wishes. Alexander told them; I want my doctors to carry my coffin to let all know that no doctor can cure anybody. They are powerless and cannot save a person from death. The strewn gold, silver, and other precious stones on the way to the graveyard let the people know that though I spent all my life accumulating riches, not even a grain of gold will come with me when I leave this world. When one yearns to be rich, it is a sheer waste of time, energy, and peace of mind. Having my hands dangling out of the coffin, I want people to know that I came empty-handed into this world and, likewise, will go empty-handed from this world.  Alexander taught the world that earthly possessions are not worth it, and one must not crave them. We came empty-handed and will die empty-handed. What else can I say! In his riches, man lacks wisdom; he is like the beasts that are destroyed. “If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

July 24, 2022; 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time; Year (C)

 

Readings: Gen 18:20-32; Col 2:12-14; Lk 11:1-13

 

Pray, Trust, Believe, and Hope. Never Lose Heart

1.    Last Sunday, we reflected on how Abraham treated the visitors who stopped by his house. Abraham showed them hospitality and provided them with food to nourish and strengthen them for their journey. The visitors were on their way to the land of Sodom and Gomorrah. In the 17th verse of the 18th chapter of the book of Genesis, “The Lord reflected: “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do…?” Our first reading takes off from that discussion. God revealed to Abraham where he was going and why; “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave, that I must go down and see whether or not their actions fully correspond to the cry against them that come to me. I mean to find out.” (Gen. 18:20-21). When Abraham heard those words, he began pleading for the land and his nephew residing there. Abraham prayed that God should spare the lives of the righteous and not punish them with sinners. In the Gospel, we see Jesus Christ at prayer, prompting his disciples to ask him to teach them how to pray. 

 

2.    I often wonder why Christ’s disciples asked him to teach them how to pray. I believe the disciples knew how to pray. As faithful Jews, they would undoubtedly know the scripture, at least the Old Testament. They must have prayed and sang the psalms, 150 of them. They prayed in the Synagogue on Sabbath. As faithful Jews, they would have taken their religious obligation seriously - why did they need to be taught prayer.   Maybe the disciples were just like the rest of us regarding prayer. Do we even know how to pray? Do we know what prayer is? The Catechism of the Church states that “Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.” (CCC 2559). When we are in God’s presence, we realign our spirit with that of God and share his sacred space and blessing. We not only pray for ourselves but, like Abraham in the first reading, we also pray for others. Developing a life of prayer is like starting a business. It takes time, patience, perseverance, and devotion. Most businesses fail because they lack the essential ingredient needed to succeed. Jesus lived a life of prayer. He was consistent, devoted, and patient. Christ prayed all the time. Sometimes he spent the whole night in prayer. Hence, the disciples wondered why he was successful, and they were not. They probably thought that God answered his prayers more than theirs. They wanted to pray like Jesus.

 

3.    Jesus did not pray to change God. He prayed to do the will of God and be constantly in God’s presence. His prayer was filled with gratitude to God for his blessings. He was humble, unassuming, and trusting. This was what he needed to teach his disciples when he taught them ‘The Our Father.’ We see this disposition in Abraham in the first reading. He was humble, unassuming, loyal, respectful, and trusting though fearful of God. He knew his limitation even in his perseverance. We must learn to pray as instructed in the Lord’s prayer. Jesus warned, “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matt. 6:7-8). When we fail to relate to God in prayer as Jesus and Abraham, we find it difficult to pray as we should. We may begin to think that God does not answer our prayers. 

 

4.    We sometimes command God in our prayers to give us what we want. Some people even demand things from God and adopt an arrogant attitude as if they are God’s equal. Listen again to the perspective of Abraham as he addressed God. “See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord, though I am but dust and ashes!” Again. “Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on. And finally, “Please let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time.” (Gen. 18:27,30,32). He pleaded for God’s intervention in that sinful nation. God answered his prayers, and though there weren’t many righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah, God spared the life of his nephew, Lot, and his family. Prayer of the righteous is pleasing to God. Jesus wants us to be like Abraham, to pray, not to change God, but to let God change us. We must ask for God’s kingship over us as we humbly ask him for our daily bread. We must persevere, knowing that our Father knows what we need before we ask him. Today Christ taught his disciples to keep their prayer simple and short. Therefore, we must seek the kingdom of God first and strive to do his will. 

 

5.    There are many forms of prayer, depending on our needs. We say a prayer of intercession when praying for others, as Abraham did in today’s first reading. We can also ask others to intercede for us. In the prayer of thanksgiving, we express our gratitude to God for his blessings. We are encouraged to offer thanks to God for the gift of life. Our most significant act of thanksgiving is the celebration of the Mass – the eucharist. Other forms of prayer are adoration, contrition, supplication, meditation, and contemplation. Our prayer is efficacious and is of utmost necessity for overcoming our enemies. Like Christ, the saints were people of prayer. They prayed not only during the day but at night as well. Prayer is a must for everyone. A Christian who does not pray knows nothing of God and his love for humanity. According to John Vianney, “We will watch ourselves and all the motions of our hearts in vain, in vain we will avoid temptation if we do not pray; if we do not have continual recourse to prayer, all our other ways will be of no use at all to us, and we shall be overcome. We can see plainly that in the world, there are many occasions when we cannot run away; for example, a child cannot run away from the society of his parents because of their bad example. But he can pray, and his prayer will sustain him.”  

 

6.    It is also noteworthy that we must forgive others if we want God to forgive us for our trespasses. This is addressed in the Lord’s prayer effectively. Here is Christ's teaching: “And forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us.” We cannot expect God’s forgiveness if we do not forgive others. If we pray as Christ did and taught, we will experience life differently; see people differently, and love as God loves us. We will forgive people from our hearts as we want God to forgive us. In praying ‘Our Father,’ we pray to a loving God who cares for us and seeks what is best for us. No matter what we go through in life, our father knows it all and wants us to tell him about it. But most of all, in praying, may we never forget to ask for the one thing that is dearest to God’s heart, the gift of the Holy Spirit. For “The Spirit too helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in speech. He who searches hearts knows what the Spirit means, for the Spirit intercedes for the saints as God himself wills.” (Rom. 8:26-27). Pray always. Pray perseveringly. Pray insistently, pray, and do not give up. God will turn your mourning into joy and fill you with the blessings of your youth. Amen.

 

                                Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

July 17, 2022; 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

 

Readings: Gen 18:1-10; Col 1:24-28; Lk 10:38-42

 

By welcoming Strangers, We Invite God into Our Space.   

 

1.    Last Sunday, we reflected on the story of the good Samaritan. The parable was prompted by the lawyer asking Jesus what he had to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked him, “What is written in the law?”The lawyer answered him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus told him, “Do this, and you will live.” The ‘Good Samaritan’ parable emphasizes the love of neighbor, while today’s readings highlight the love of God. We must love God with our whole being since all that we are and have come from God. God must come first before anything else. We owe God adoration, loyalty, and worship. 

 

2.    In the first reading, Abraham shows hospitality to strangers. He offered them a place to rest and a meal to nourish and strengthen them. As the material food nourishes and strengthens them, so does the Eucharist nourish our souls during our pilgrim journey on earth. Abraham’s hospitality was handsomely rewarded. “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah will then have a son.” (Gen. 18:10). Christ comes to us as a beggar; a stranger in need of shelter; immigrants running away from starvation due to oppressive and repressive government, the rich in need of a friend, or as the lonely looking for consolation and love. Like Abraham, Mary, and Martha, we must reach out to those in need. Jesus assures us, “So long as you did it for the least of my people, you did it for me.”(Mt. 25:40). By welcoming strangers, we invite God into our space. When we pray, we reciprocate God’s generosity. Prayer frees us to do things well with God’s power, strength, and blessing. According to St. Therese of Lisieux, Prayer is a surge of the heart; a simple look turned toward heaven; the cry of recognition and for love, embracing both trial and joy. 

 

3.    Jesus did not reprimand Martha for caring for his physical needs, but her attitude. She was anxious, worried, and distracted by her serving that she felt what she did was more important than Mary’s. “Stop worrying over questions like, ‘What are we to eat, or what are we to drink, or what are we to wear’? Your heavenly Father knows all that you need. Seek first his kingship over you, his way of holiness, and all these things will be given you besides.” (Mt. 6:31-34). Christ encourages us to serve like Martha and pray like Mary without sacrificing one for the other. Let us learn from Lydia, who made the right combination in the Acts of the Apostles. First, she listened to Paul’s Gospel message and then offered hospitality to him and his companions (Acts 16:14-15). 

 

4.    To be truly hospitable, we must have clarity of action; that comes through prayer. When we pray, we align ourselves with God and contemplate his blessings. It enables us to recognize the needs of others. Therefore, we reciprocate God’s hospitality and kindness when we give to the poor. When we live a life of hospitality, we recognize that we are only stewards of God’s gifts. Praying like Mary, who sat at the feet of Jesus listening to him, helps us to identify first in our hearts the Jesus that we must serve in the poor. By praying like Mary and serving like Martha, our life will be complete; and our service will be acceptable to God and humanity. 

 

5.    Today’s Gospel reminds us, according to John Rose, that “Substitution of our daily duties and responsibilities with religious activities is not commendable.” A father who spends time in the church praying instead of working and providing for his family must be discouraged.” Even so, the woman who spends a whole day praying instead of providing for her family should be reprimanded. Prayer, religious and social activities are good and highly encouraged. Still, the family and the children’s good should not be sacrificed on their altars. There is always time for Mary and also time for Martha. Prayer and good work must be combined in a healthy way to strike a balance in our lives. Let us learn to discharge our social responsibility with poise and, at the same time, sit at the feet of Jesus and learn from him. May Christ teach us to find peace and balance in our lives without the anxieties, worries, and distractions of today’s life. Amen.

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

July 10, 2022; 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

                                     Deut. 30:10-14; Col. 1:15-20; Lk. 10:25-37

 

'Go and Do Likewise.'

1.    Christ commanded the teacher of the law to “Go and do likewise” in today’s Gospel reading. It means 'go and love, even your enemies, and be kind to those you meet on the road called life.' Christ used the ‘good Samaritan’, who was kind to someone he did not know, as an object of his parable. So, why did Christ call the man from Samaria ‘good’? What was the genesis of the abusive and malicious relationship that spark so much animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans? The Jews were very uncomfortable at the mention of the Samaritans and vice versa. Why?

 

2.    A brief history will answer these questions. The Samaritans descended from the Israelites of the Northern tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. These were two of Jacob's twelve sons, named Israel by God. Jacob's children were: Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Ephraim, and Manasseh. The 12 of them made up the 12 tribes of Israel. According to Pablo T. Gadenz in his commentary on ‘The Gospel of Luke,’ “Jews regarded the Samaritans as having doubtful lineage on account of intermarriage with the Gentile peoples imported by the Assyrians after they conquered the northern kingdom in 721 B.C. and sent some Israelites into exiles (2 Kings 17:6-24; 2 Chron 30:6-11). Besides these ethnic tensions, there was an enduring religious rift associated with the Samaritan’s worship on Mount Gerizim rather than at the Jerusalem temple (Jn. 4:20). The Hasmonean Jewish ruler John Hyrcanus destroyed the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim around 111 B.C. Later, under the Roman prefect Coponius (A.D. 6-9), some Samaritans struck back by littering the Jerusalem temple with human bones at Passover, thus defiling it. Moreover, when Cumanus was the Roman procurator (A.D. 48-52), Samaritans from the border village of Ginae killed a group of Galileans passing through Samaria on the way to Jerusalem for a feast.” This then explains the animosity and hatred between the brothers of the same father in the same family as it were, to the point that they could not see past their tribal sentiments. 

 

3.    Jesus, on the hand, was not tired of forging a truce between the two factions. To answer the question, who is my neighbor? Jesus gave a parable of the good Samaritan who took care of a man who was beaten and left half-dead on a precarious, treacherous, and hazardous road. The priest and the Levites could not help the man for fear of defilement, but the Samaritan put his life in danger, went to the man, spent time and money, and put his donkey at the man’s service, lodged him in a hotel, and promised to stop by on his way back to make sure the man was doing well. The lawyer who identified the Samaritan (the one who showed mercy) as the man’s neighbor was told to ‘Go and do likewise.’

 

4.    The first reading urges us to go and do likewise by paying heed to the voice of the Lord, keeping his commandments and statutes, as written in the book of the law. It reminds us that this commandment is written in our hearts. It is right in front of us. We need no teacher to teach us how to love, forgive, and be human. The second reading urges us to go and do likewise by seeing in Jesus Christ the image of the invisible God. If God is our father and Jesus Christ is our brother, we must treat everyone as brothers and sisters. Everyone is my neighbor, regardless of ethnic background, creed, color, or language. No one is a stranger to us on mother earth, for the blessings of God, are abundant for everyone if we only have love in our hearts for all. Yes, a neighbor is anyone who shows concern, mercy, and compassion to the needy, regardless of material, social, ethnic, or racial status. He is universal in his character and outlook. He may be uneducated or learned. Religious, agnostic, atheist, priest, or Levite, yet by his love for one and all, he demonstrates love for God and humanity. He is a model of authentic love and altruistic behavior.

 

5.    The good Samaritan showed mercy by caring for the sick man. Catholic tradition has highlighted such corporal works of mercy, which also include feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, welcoming the stranger, and visiting the imprisoned (cf. Isa 58:6-7; Matt. 25:31-46). Also emphasized are the spiritual works of mercy, which include instructing others in the faith, practicing fraternal correction, giving advice or consolation to those who need it, forgiving and bearing with those who wrong us, and praying for the living and the dead (Catechism 2447). What works of mercy can I carry out in order to love my neighbor?

 

6.    There is a story by an unknown author about an old man who carried a little can of oil with him everywhere he went, and if he passed through a door that squeaked, he put a little oil on the hinges. If a gate was hard to open, he oiled the latch. So, he passed through life lubricating all the creaking places, making it easier for those who came after him. People called him eccentric, strange, cranky, odd, and even harsher names. But the old man went steadily on, refilling his can of oil when it became empty and oiling the squeaking or rusty hinge. He carried it with him at all times.

 

7.    There are many lives that creak and squeak and grate harshly day by day. They need lubricating with the oil of kindness, gentleness, or thoughtfulness. That can of oil is one of the predominant characteristics of the Christian life. We are to carry such a can of oil with us at all times. So, pick up your can of oil and “Go and do likewise.”

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP