29th Week, Wednesday, Oct 25
Romans 6:12-18 / Luke 12:39-48
Salvation is not automatic; We need to cooperate with God's grace.
A man dressed in evening clothes was walking through the slums of New York. He came upon two boys dragging a huge box filled with kindling wood. Feeling sorry for them, he grabbed the rope and began to help pull the box. A minute later one boy let go of the rope and began kicking a can down the sidewalk. Then the other boy let go of the rope and began hitting the box with a stick. At that point, the man let go and walked away. He wanted to teach the boys that he wasn't their substitute, but their helper.Paul alludes to a point similar to this in today's reading God's grace has freed us from sin, but we must still do our part. Salvation is a team effort. We must cooperate with God's grace.
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How cooperative with grace are we? “God gives every bird its food, but he doesn't throw it in the nest.” Josiah Hollan
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Persons who have been set free from the slavery of sin, says Paul, should live in the grace of God as free persons. They can only serve what is right and good. They should live as a free and responsible Christians.
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To be responsible means to be answerable or to be accountable to someone or to a group of people. A responsible person is able to consciously make decisions, and behaves in such a way as to seek to improve oneself and also to help others do likewise. Most importantly, a responsible person accepts the consequences of his or her own actions and decisions.
Servants are expected to be responsible persons, otherwise they will be sacked by the master. In the gospel parable, the responsible servant is obviously rewarded by the master by being placed over everything the master owns.
Whereas, the irresponsible and untrustworthy and unfaithful servant is obviously punished. And we too must see ourselves as servants of the Lord, and the 1st reading reminds us not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies or command our obedience to bodily passions or desires.
We must be responsible for our actions because we are accountable and answerable to God and also to the people who will be influenced by our actions. God gave us this great gift of free will and choice. Let us be responsible in using it to do God's will and be obedient and faithful to Him.
God will reward us for our obedience and faithfulness, and for being responsible for what He has given us.
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In the Gospel, Luke speaks of the vigilance of Christians and their leaders. They are responsible for the grace and the talents God has given them. And, says Jesus, the more has been given to us, the more is expected of us, the more we have to be responsible for those entrusted to us.
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A human being is a combination of body and soul: the physical element and the divine element. God created the universe by uttering words; but the human being was created by His own hands. Therefore, human beings are the only creatures in the universe with the fingerprints of God’s own hand. A human being is blessed and filled with many divine qualities. However, human beings tend to forget the divine element that abides in their body and soul, and seek only physical pleasures like eating and drinking, which could lead to condemnation. Humans have received more than any other creature in the universe; hence, more is expected of human beings. We must give more than expected and expect less than wanted.
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Prayer
Our God and Father, in the generosity of your creative imagination you distribute among people a variety of gifts and talents of mind and heart and grace. Convince us, Lord, that what we have received, we have received for others, that if we have been given more, we are not greater or better, only responsible for more. Help us to use what we are and have in the service of others. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
