33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Fr. Vinner)
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus,
We are coming closer to the end of the liturgical year-A. The Church calls each one of us to be risk taker of our spiritual life. Spiritual risk is not that easy but we need to have lot of courage and confidence in oneself. One should take the responsibility and that will guide the person to be genuine in his commitment towards God. This genuineness is seen in today’s first reading how a worthy wife takes a risk in her life and she had done genuinely her duties well. She was ever ready to help the poor around her and she made all the possible to live holy life in spite all her difficulties and challenges. This is the attitude we must possess so that we can take any kind of risks to achieve God’s kingdom.
In the world, there is a lot of challenging and the risks taking which is seen in the midst of the believers and non- believes, in the realm of the economy, business, jobs and so on so forth. It is the party and partial of our life on earth. In this situation many may achieve it or may not. In the case of our spiritual realm is entirely different from other worldly realms. Jesus often says to us, ‘if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. It is really a risk for everyone those who want to follow Jesus. The word of God gives us a spiritual challenge as well as takes a risk in our spiritual life.
In the second reading we see St. Paul speaks about the spiritual light or children of light and children of day, which means to live in the light of Christ and challenge the world of darkness. It is very much applied for each baptized Christians so that we may follow the way of Christ and we may stay alert and sober in our spiritual journey.
Today’s parable is about the servant who lacked courage, and who being fear-driven, was consequently unproductive, and excusing himself by accusing his master of being a hard man. This servant, like the foolish virgins, was looking for an excuse. He was in a state of denial, denying his own responsibilities. How do we go about it? God has given us enormous treasures, talents, in Christ his Son. We have a powerful currency, the powers that God has given us. Christ is interested in productivity.
He isn’t looking for passive dependent persons to follow him, to be his post-Ascension agents here on earth. He wants, rather, gamblers and risk-takers to be his followers and to vivify his Church. Doesn’t it strike you that the parables of Jesus center on farming, fishing and business activities, all involving risk–taking? Remember the man who found the pearl of great price and then risked all of his net worth to acquire it? Remember the fishing episodes when Jesus asked Peter to throw out his nets yet again even though he had gone through the whole night without catching a single fish? And remember, too, that episode when Jesus came upon a poor little fig tree that produced nothing and thereupon was going to annihilate it, but held back when the Landscaper asked him to wait a year so he could manure it, tend it, and bring it to bear fruit.
Christianity without courage is Christianity without blood and spirit. God encourages us to jump into life and run the risk of growing. It doesn’t take courage to hide in our fear. It takes courage to risk something new. I hope you also notice that they are all asking us to have faith, to make faith-based decisions, to act, and act boldly, on faith.
Well, Christ is giving us the same challenge. He’s telling us that faith isn’t something we can get and keep all to ourselves. Rather it is the currency of the Divine Economy, the engine that drives it. And faith isn’t something we can hide, clutch, and hold only unto ourselves. It needs to be invested in the lives of others and thereby multiplied. Only then can it possibly bear fruit. Only then can our world get better. We were given the Faith not simply to save our own skins… but to save the world!
In this celebration, let us ask Jesus so that he may give us the courage and confidence and we may ready to take risk in our spiritual life that will lead us to Christ.
May God Bless us all.
FR.S.Vinner HGN