Reflection for 19th Sunday Yr C: 11-08-13 The Journey towards our true Home For those who believe in God, life is a journey of faith. A journey towards our true homeland. It is a journey of searching in the valley of shadows and darkness, full of fear and doubts. Every man remains to himself a mystery and an unsolved problem. No one is contented with the present life. No one can readily say, “I have reached fulfillment in this life so I don’t want anything more. The Economist says, “Human wants are insatiable.” We see ourselves as strangers and exiles on this earth, pilgrims in search of a homeland and a better country beyond our present situation. This is why we often complain about the socio-economic situation of our time. The world we are living in is not our true home. This reminds me of that country side music: “This world is not my own I’m just passing through…” The only beacon of light we have on our passageway is faith. Faith is our attempt at solving the dark mystery of where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going. We believe that there is a purpose to life and a divine providence at work within us. Somehow the hand of God is in action weaving a pattern in and out of our lives, shaping our destiny. It is God’s world and He knows what he is doing with it. This is our belief – this is our faith. It is not something we can really describe. Faith is a type of window we look through which helps us to see life from a viewpoint beyond this world, enabling us to take God at his word when he makes promises about the future and calls us to be his people, in a special way. This was what made a man like Abraham to set out on adventure, into the unknown. He cannot settle down in this world. We are like a bird that sits on a dry branch of a tree. The branch may break at any moment. But the bird is not afraid, because it is ready to fly off elsewhere. We must be ready to leave this world at any time God calls us. Jesus tells us in the gospel of today that we must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming like at an unexpected hour. He said, “We should be like those waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks.” The key word is “Waiting”. People wait for different purpose. The congregation wait for the priest to begin the mass, travelers wait for bus or flight, farmers wait for harvest time, Abraham waited long for the birth of Isaac, the promise son, the Jews waited for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus waited for about thirty years to begin his public ministry. After his ascension, Jesus told the disciples to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit (Act 1:4). To wait at this time of relativism and subjectivism, when each and every person’s view is held as truth; when our faith is undergoing series of challenges in the modern world, we need a strong and unshakeable faith as that of Abraham, Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego. A pure faith which will put us above all momentary favours and pleasures of this world. We need a firm faith as immovable as a rock, through which we can stand in the midst of storms and trials of life. We need a lively faith animated by charity. Faith is a gift from God. It is the first point we must affirm in an attempt to understand the beauty of the Christian faith. It is not a belief in an abstract reality but a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, making oneself a disciple of his. Faith consist in an intimate relationship with Christ, a relationship based on love of him who first loved us” (1 Jn 4:11). Faith is to leap into the dark. Without faith we cannot trust God. Every day we are presented with opportunities of demonstrating our faithfulness as followers of Christ. If we avail ourselves of them we will be prepared and ready for the arrival of the master of the house at whatever hour he chooses to come. May God grant you faith to be faithful at all times. Happy Sunday
Posted on: Sat, 10 Aug 2013 22:37:17 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015