20141022 RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP IS DETERMINED BY ONE’S STANCE
TOWARDS THE COMING OF GOD’S KINGDOM IN OUR LIVES
First
reading
Ephesians
3:2-12 ©
You
have probably heard how I have been entrusted by God with the grace he meant
for you, and that it was by a revelation that I was given the knowledge of the
mystery, as I have just described it very shortly. If you read my word you will
have some idea of the depths that I see in the mystery of Christ. This that has
now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets was
unknown to any men in past generations; it means that pagans now share the same
inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise
has been made to them, in Jesus Christ, through the gospel. I have been made
the servant of that gospel by a gift of grace from God who gave it to me by his
own power. I, who am less than the least of all the saints have been entrusted
with this special grace, not only of proclaiming to the pagans the infinite
treasure of Christ but also of explaining how the mystery is to be dispensed.
Through all the ages, this has been kept hidden in God, the creator of
everything. Why? So that the Sovereignties and Powers should learn only now,
through the Church, how comprehensive God’s wisdom really is, exactly according
to the plan which he had had from all eternity in Christ Jesus our Lord. This
is why we are bold enough to approach God in complete confidence, through our
faith in him.
Canticle Isaiah 12 ©
The
rejoicing of a redeemed people
With
joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
Truly,
God is my salvation,
I trust, I shall not fear.
For
the Lord is my strength, my song,
he became my saviour.
With
joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
With
joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
Give
thanks to the Lord, give praise to his name!
Make his mighty deeds known to the peoples!
Declare the greatness of his name.
With
joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
Sing
a psalm to the Lord
for he has done glorious deeds;
make them known to all the earth!
People
of Zion, sing and shout for joy,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of
Israel.
With
joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
Gospel
Acclamation Jn10:27
Alleluia,
alleluia!
The
sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says
the Lord,
I
know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
Or Mt24:42,44
Alleluia,
alleluia!
Stay
awake and stand ready,
because
you do not know the hour
when
the Son of Man is coming.
Alleluia!
Gospel Luke 12:39-48 ©
Jesus
said to his disciples:
‘You may be quite sure of this, that if the
householder had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have
let anyone break through the wall of his house. You too must stand ready,
because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’
Peter said, ‘Lord, do you mean this parable
for us, or for everyone?’ The Lord replied, ‘What sort of steward, then, is
faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give
them their allowance of food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his
master’s arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you truly, he will place
him over everything he owns. But as for the servant who says to himself, “My
master is taking his time coming,” and sets about beating the menservants and
the maids, and eating and drinking and getting drunk, his master will come on a
day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him
off and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful.
The servant who knows what his master wants,
but has not even started to carry out those wishes, will receive very many
strokes of the lash. The one who did not know, but deserves to be beaten for
what he has done, will receive fewer strokes. When a man has had a great deal
given him, a great deal will be demanded of him; when a man has had a great
deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him.’
RESPONSIBLE
STEWARDSHIP IS DETERMINED BY ONE’S STANCE TOWARDS THE COMING OF GOD’S KINGDOM
IN OUR LIVES
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: EPH 3:2-12; LK 12:39-48
Like St
Paul in the first reading, we have been graced by God to be given the
knowledge of the mystery of Christ as the infinite and comprehensive wisdom
of God and His plan for all creation.
But with
this grace comes responsibility. As Christians, we are given the
revelation of God’s mystery in Christ, not only for ourselves, but for others
too. This is what St Paul underscored when he spoke of the Church as the
instrument whereby God would reveal His Divine Wisdom to the world.
Hence, like Paul, we too have been entrusted with this infinite treasure, not
only for ourselves, but also for all peoples, so that everyone can share in the
same inheritance and become part of the body of Christ. Yes, with St
Paul, we too have been made servants of the gospel through the grace of
God. He has empowered us to explain how Christ is the mystery of God
revealed to us.
Have we then been
responsible to the task that has been entrusted to us? This is the challenge posed to
us in today’s gospel reading. Are we faithful stewards of God’s grace and
revelation? Whether we assess ourselves to be responsible or not however,
is dependent on how we see the coming of God’s kingdom. The failure to
act is due to the way we view the arrival of the Second coming of
Christ. Indeed, the gospel text regarding the coming of the Son of
Man, which is also the coming of the kingdom in its fullness, can be read on
three different levels.
The first level is to place
the Second coming of Christ at the end of time. The second level
is to see it in terms of each individual’s death. Finally, it is also
possible to see Christ’s coming at every moment in our lives.
These three levels of interpretation are all legitimate. Nevertheless, the
emphasis that we give to any of these interpretations will determine how we
will act as the stewards of God in this life.
If we view the Second
coming of Christ on the first two levels, namely at the end of our lives or the
end of time, then there is the tendency to postpone carrying out the task
that God has assigned to us. Like the irresponsible servant in today’s
gospel, we will be tempted to take life easy and postpone our responsibilities
as God’s stewards. We will procrastinate, as there is no sense of exigency in
us. We take life for granted and seek to do the least. We say to
ourselves, “One day, I will give myself fully to my calling.” Of course,
we will never get to doing it.
However, if we
understand that the Kingdom of God has already come in Christ and that
He is coming at every minute in our lives, then we will take our life
and mission seriously. For we know that the Kingdom comes the moment
we make a decision to say, “yes” to His kingdom values. We will not wait
until we are nearer to our death-bed to start living our mission. There
is no deadline to get ourselves ready, because Christ is coming at every moment
in our lives. Readiness is dependent on the decision that we make for
Christ and His gospel, here and now. As such we do not postpone the joy
of the kingdom life as if it is a reward at the end of life, but we have
already entered into it, albeit in lesser degree, depending on the extent of
our commitment to the new life that Christ invites us to live, here and now.
Thus, when the gospel tells
us to stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour we do not expect,
it does not mean to say that Christ would be coming only at a particular time,
or that the second coming of Christ is happening soon. No, He is
forever coming, but only those who are ready, those whose eyes and
hearts are open, can see Him present. This happens when we give
ourselves fully to whatever tasks and vocation we are called to live each
day. By so doing, we will experience great joy and satisfaction because
in selflessly dedicating ourselves to our tasks, we develop our potential to
the fullest.
In the process of immersing
ourselves in our work, we will find that the kingdom is there; that Christ is
there. The gospel further tells us that if the master finds us at our
employment on His arrival, we will be given even greater responsibility and
trust. Indeed, He will even place us over everything He owns. This
is a fact of life. When we do well, we will be given greater
responsibility. This does not simply mean more work to burden us.
Nay, we will grow in our capacity to do more. This is why it is only when
we are responsible in small things that greater things will be entrusted to
us. As a result, we will grow our capacity to love and serve.
When that happens, we
will become more fulfilled
because we would have realized our full potential, and widened our minds in
understanding, our hearts in love, and our skills as well. We become
truly alive, since being alive is to be active in love and service. This
is truly a more fulfilled life. This explains why Jesus said, “When a man
has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him; when a
man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of
him.”
With this promise, there is
also a warning. If we keep our hearts and eyes closed; if we continue to
destroy ourselves by living irresponsibly, then the gospel tells us the master
will cut us off and send us to the same fate as the unfaithful. In other
words, if we fail to be alert to His presence in our lives, then a time will
come when we will regret. Because if we fail to be alert to His small
comings everyday in our lives, in His final coming at the end of time, or
at our death-bed, we will look back with deep regret that we have missed the
opportunity to live our lives. But then there would be no going back
because time does not wait for us. Yes, we will hate ourselves and we
will receive “many strokes of the lash”, not delivered by God, but by
ourselves. Worse still, as the gospel tells us, if we had known, but
failed to do what we should, then the guilt would be heavier, and the regret
greater. But if we were simply ignorant, the guilt would be lesser, but
all the same, we would equally regret. This would be a tragedy.
Today, let us imitate
the example of St Paul. He is a shining example of one who is
zealous in his mission. He strove to do his best to bring the gospel to
all the Gentiles. He was a man of deep gratitude to God’s grace. He
recognized that although he was the “least of all the saints”, yet, God not
only chose him to be the instrument in “proclaiming to the pagans the infinite
treasure of Christ, but also of explaining how the mystery is to be
dispensed.” Because of his dedication, we know that Paul lived a full
life; and thus was not afraid of death. He knew that he had done
all that he could possibly do. Because he co-operated with God to the
fullest with the graces that had been given him, God used him mightily and
powerfully to be a great preacher and evangelist. He lived a life without
regrets even when it ended in martyrdom.
Let us pray too that we
might be like him so that we will not look back at the end of our lives and
regret what it might have been. We must seize the opportunities given to us
now. We must make a radical decision now to live fully, using
whatever God has given to us for the full growth of our potential. It is
in the process of living as fully as we can, according to the state that we are
in now, that God will entrust us with greater responsibilities in the future;
not to burden us, but to enlarge our hearts and minds; and thus maturing fully
in Christ, so that the kingdom becomes truly present in us, especially at the
end of our lives.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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