THE LORD IS OUR GOD!
Happy 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Today’s readings remind us that the Lord is our God & that we are His beloved & chosen, the sheep of His flock (cf Psalm 100:3). As the Response in our Responsorial Psalm joyfully declares today, “Happy the people the Lord has chosen as His own.” (Psalm 33:12). Indeed, we who are baptized & are adopted sons & daughters of God are happy & blessed!
Our 1st Reading from Wisdom 18:6-9 opens the Word today by reminding us that God’s chosen people of the past had faith in Him; they then would have had the wonderful expectation that God saves the virtuous & brings their enemies to ruin. Their natural response to the Lord would then have been to adore & offer a sacrifice of praise to God & to continuously chant hymns of praise to Him.
Notice how important the aspect of Faith & Belief in God is. Our 2nd Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19 so eloquently summarises this aspect of faith, that ‘guarantees the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of realities that at present remain unseen’ (cf Hebrews 11:1). Our great ancestors of faith, Abraham & Sarah are held up as shining examples of faith in God & believing that He could not only give them a son in their advanced old age, but countless descendants through that son, though it seemed impossible. Abraham also held fast to faith in God when he was asked in Genesis 22 to sacrifice his only son Isaac & it appeared that the promise of posterity would not be fulfilled. As the writer of Hebrews stated, “he (Abraham) was confident that God had the power even to raise the dead; and so, figuratively speaking, he was given back Isaac from the dead” (Hebrews 11:19).
I think it’s timely for us now to pause & reflect: How do we see our relationship with God? Is God truly the Lord of everything in our life – our marriage, family, work, finances, leisure, ministry etc? Do we have faith that He can do the miraculous & impossible things for us, like He did for Abraham & Sarah? Or do we (wrongly) conclude that somehow great things are only for other ‘special’ people, but not for us? What if we had to sacrifice & give up something / someone that’s very precious to us? Do we have to faith to surrender it into God’s hands, though it’s painful & heart-wrenching? Can we in this instance trust Him to ‘work all things for our good’ (cf Romans 8:28)?
Looking at the theme of “The Lord is our God”, how can we fully live the reality that God is the Lord of our lives? In our Gospel today (Luke 12:32-48), Jesus gives us some good directions. He asks us to have a healthy detachment to material possessions & seek true treasure that do not fail (Verses 33 - 34). We are to stand ready to await the return of the master & be ‘dressed for action & have our lamps lit’ (Verse 35 – 38). In all these actions, Jesus challenges us to take on attributes like living with a sense of expectancy & urgency; and also to be wise, faithful, disciplined & diligent in working for God & pleasing Him (Verses 37,43).
Verse 37 where Jesus says the master will ‘put on an apron, sit them down at table & wait on them’ is indeed striking. Why would the master ‘wait on & serve his servants’? What is the lesson for us here? What if it were you that Jesus our Lord & God is inviting to sit at table, & them waits on you & serves you? Would you squirm in your seat & feel uncomfortable? Much like Peter at the Last Supper when Jesus knelt to wash his feet (see John 13:6-8)?
I think what we are supposed to focus on is the radical humility & servant leadership of Jesus. This imagery of the master serving the servants upends the conventional notions of power and authority. Instead, it emphasizes the value of humility and selfless service. So, if we truly acknowledge that Jesus is our Lord & God, & that He is a servant leader who gives us as example to follow, we too must do the same to others. Going back to the Last Supper scene of the washing of the feet, Jesus reminds us: “So if I, your Lord & Teacher have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.” (cf John 13:14-15)
So, here we have it - our game plan for our week ahead & also a long-term life direction map! Rejoice & be grateful that you are God’s chosen; have a deep faith & belief in God & His love for you; and stand ready to love & serve the Lord & others, following Jesus’ lead & example.
Article by Damian Boon, HFC Blog Team Lead