Thirty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)

 

Thirty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time (A) [Mt 25:14-30]

15.11.2026

The Parable of the Talents

Readings: (1) Prov 31: 10-13.19-20.30-31 (2) 1 Thess 5:1.6

1.    Theme in brief

Our responsibility and accountability regarding God’s gifts

2. Focus Statement  

God has endowed us with so many resources, gifts and abilities out of his bounty, not for safe-keeping but to freely put them at the service of his Kingdom as responsible stewards and be accountable to him.

3. Explanation of the text

The Parable of the Talents prescribed for today’s liturgy is used by Matthew as an allegory with word for word application: In this story, the master is Christ himself; his departure refers to Christ’s ascension (25:15); his return after a long time refers to the delay of Second Coming (25:19); faithful slaves are Christians who hear the Word of God and keep it and lazy slave represents those who do not; settling accounts is the last judgement (25:19); and the reward is an entry into the joy of the Master (25:21,23) or joy of the heavenly Kingdom.

In modern English, the word talent, though derived from this parable, has come to mean a skill, aptitude or natural ability that can be improved by diligent practice. But in this parable, it means money or wealth. A talent was not a coin but a solid piece of weight made out of gold, silver or copper. Its value differed according to the metal used. Anyway, five or even two talents meant a large amount of money. Thus in this parable, talents actually do not mean abilities bestowed by the master on three slaves but money which is distributed to them according to their abilities (25:15).

Obviously, this parable points at the following message: the disciples of the Lord have to faithfully carry out the stewardship entrusted to them in a responsible manner between the period of his ascension and Second Coming (Parousia). It speaks about two kinds of disciples: those who responsibly put into use what they have received from God for building up his Kingdom and those who keep it for themselves. Though three slaves are mentioned in the story, the first two belong to the same category of those who invest their talents and double their money. The master commends them for being good and faithful or trustworthy servants (25:21,23). He puts them in charge of many more things and invites them to enter into his ‘joy.’ These slaves exactly correspond to the faithful and wise slave mentioned in a previous parable in Matthew’s gospel (24:45-51), whom the master finds doing what is assigned to him even in his absence.

But the third slave belongs to the category of those who bury or hide their talents (25:25). He does not want to take any risk so that his position remains very secure. Instead of investing his money with the bankers and earning at least interest for it, his bank seems to be just a hole in the ground in which he hides his mater’s money (25:18). He rationalizes his negligence by making excuses. He thinks his master is a harsh task-master (25:24); actually, he is not. He says he is afraid of his master (25:25) – a baseless fear. In fact, he has not understood God as depicted by Jesus – an infinitely compassionate Father. The real reason – which the third servant does not admit – is that he is wicked and lazy (25:26). He ventures nothing and loses everything. His unfaithfulness costs him severely. He is thrown into the outer darkness (25:30). Entering into the “joy of the master” is a reference to the bliss of heaven. Throwing into the outer darkness seems to be a reference to a life to be spent eternally without God, and without joy.

4. Application to life                    

Again, as the Liturgical Year comes to end, the Church draws our attention to the end-times – the Second Coming of Christ, final judgement, eternal reward and punishment – through the Parable of the Talents. This parable tells us that before Christ will return and final judgement will take place, we should use the Master’s goods in a responsible manner. 

God entrusts his “property” (25:14) to our care. In the parable it is also called “talents” (25:15). We can apply the symbol of talents or gifts of God to our lives in various ways: First of all, according to the gospel, the greatest gift God has given us through his Son is the gift of his Kingdom. Though it is a gift it is also a task entrusted to us. We are responsible for its spread and growth by using our potentials. As we saw above, the original meaning of a talent is wealth. As per this meaning, the present parable tells us to invest at least some of our wealth/money and resources for the promotion of God’s Kingdom, instead of investing it fully and totally on our own kingdom.

Secondly, our faith is also another supernatural gift of God. It is not given for safe-keeping; it must be invested daily in the midst of challenges and trials. We are often tempted to choose the values of the world and reject the values of God’s Kingdom such as genuine caring, sharing, serving and making sacrifices for the sake of love. Now that we are in the period of the Master’s absence, our faith is often put to the test until he returns. How do we come out this test? There are times we have failed; and the Lord calls us to greater accountability of the way we used our God-given gift of faith as we reflect on the impermanence of our life..

Thirdly, though the word ‘talent’ originally meant only wealth, when we apply it to spiritual life there is nothing wrong in making an extended application to include in it all God-given gifts and abilities. Hence, as per the meaning the word ‘talent’ has acquired in English, a talent can mean all gifts, aptitudes, skills, abilities, education, power or authority, etc., given by God freely out of his bounty. They are not for safe-keeping but for freely putting them into service of others. The question is whether we use these things for God’s purposes, whether we are responsible like “the good and trustworthy slave” (25:21) or irresponsible like “the wicked and lazy slave” (25:26). What does faithfulness or trustworthiness mean in Matthew’s gospel? When we read his gospel carefully, we come to now that it implies following the Lord and continuing his mission of feeding the hungry, healing the sick, casting out evil, becoming messengers of peace and serving (or doing deeds of mercy to) the least of his brothers and sisters. We need to question whether we use our God-given talents to serve humanity so that they yield fruits, or bury them like the lazy servant. In another sense, power or authority given to various leaders in civil society as well as in the Church and her religious institutions/ organizations is also a gift given by God. They can either use it for greater good or abuse it for personal gains or one’s own prosperity. Whichever way they use, they are accountable for it.

Fourthly, the word ‘talents’ could also be taken to include our bodily gifts such as various parts of the body; mental gifts such as mind, knowledge and wisdom; material gifts such as land and property; spiritual  gifts such as love, service, sacrifice, mercy, forgiveness, justice, peace, etc. How (for whom or for what) do we use them? For example, love must be given by showing active concern for others; peace should be established by reconciliation; mercy should be shown towards the needy and the erring; justice should be done to those who are oppressed; etc. Among mental faculties, human mind is the most marvellous gift. As Robin Sharma has put it: “The mind is a wonderful servant but a terrible master… (It) is truly like any other muscle in your body. Use it or lose it.” The question is whether we discipline our mind to make it our servant so that it becomes highly motivated to work for the welfare of others, and to use its potentials for building up God’s Kingdom. Or do we permit it to be our master that drives us to the confines of our own little and selfish world?

We are the stewards appointed by God to manage his goods and are called to cooperate with him actively to build up communities based on the Kingdom-values. God’s Kingdom can come only when we pass it on to others what we have received freely from God out of his bounty. If we use God’s gifts only for our selfish purposes, we fail to become like the first two good and trustworthy servants. As God’s stewards we are responsible and accountable to God whether we put all these gifts to proper and maximum use for his and humanity’s service, or keep them for ourselves. Faithful stewards (servants) are those who use all the gifts and talents given by God for others’ service; lazy ones are those who keep them idle or buried.

Unlike the third servant who took no risks at all, we have to take risks to put God’s gifts and talents into use rather than scrupulously preserving (burying) them. Like him we should not be so obsessed with our own security that we are not willing to venture into any risk, even a smaller one which does not put our life in danger. If we are constantly alert or vigilant to meet the Master at his return, naturally we shall not remain lazy but take bold and fruitful actions in favour of God’s Kingdom or its values. In other words, we shall carefully and diligently exercise our talents in service of humanity, especially of the poor and the marginalized. Hence, investment of our talents makes us vigilant and vigilance makes us translate our talents into fruitful service.

The third servant was after all not a bad character. He did not waste his master’s wealth in eating, drinking, merry-making, gambling, or in consumerism, such as going on acquiring the latest Smartphones from the market. He did not commit any sin either.  He is like those who do no harm to anybody; at the same time do not do any good either. He resembles those who observe all the rules or scrupulously preserve all the traditions but spend none of their resources, time and energy to look for the lost sheep, to bandage the wounds of the man fallen on the roadside, to stoop down to wash one another’s feet, etc. He also represents those who stick to the principle, “Old is gold” and oppose any change without bothering to redefine age-old traditions that are not in tune with the signs of the times. He also represents those who profess to be disciples of Christ or profess to follow him in a radical manner but fail to live their life with a difference. The main question the Eternal Auditor will ask at the end of our lives is: “How much of your resources, grits and talents did you use for the growth or promotion of my Kingdom?” Experts say that average persons use only 10% of their mind potentials and 90% are buried inside them. This is especially true when one gets everything freely even if one does not work, and is not made accountable for one’s non-performance.

What counts before God is our faithfulness in putting our talents into use and not the amount received. Like the first two servants who were given unequal (five and two) talents, God does not bestow on all of us necessarily equal gifts and talents, we are called to use whatever is given to us to the best of our ability and for God’s glory. Instead of comparing our talents with others and becoming jealous of the better gifts possessed by them we should think of our own personal responsibility to make the best use of our gifts. We may not be equal to others in talents but can be equal in our efforts. Then we too will be counted among the good and trustworthy servants of God. Sometimes faithful service may lead to increased responsibilities in God’s Kingdom.

How true is the dictum: “Risk nothing, lose everything.” Jesus says that all those who already have, more will be given, and those who nothing, even that will be taken away (25:29). If we do not put into service our gifts and talents, however little they may be, we risk losing them. For example, if we know how to play a musical instrument a little, if we teach the little we know to others, we become more experts in it besides helping others. Again, how true is the dictum, “Use it or lose it.”

5. Response to God's Word

Do we use God’s gifts and talents responsibly so that when the Lord comes to settle accounts with us we can hear from him: “Well done, good and trustworthy servant?” Is our faith in Christ for safekeeping or for investment? Should we not regret for the times we remained idle and failed to act when we came across so much suffering and misery or so many human needs in front of our eyes? Do we yield fruits like the faithful servants, or avoid all risks by burying our talents like the lazy servant? Are we proactive or passive Christians? Do we take some risks so that the Kingdom yields fruits, or preserve it as it is.

6. A prayer

Lord, make us your good and faithful servants. Grant that the investment of our talents for your and humanity’s service make us more and more vigilant for your coming. At the end of our life’s journey, may we be found worthy to get the reward of eternal joy with you, according to your promise. Amen.

 

 

Thirty-second Sunday of Ordinary Sunday (A)

 

Thirty-second Sunday of Ordinary Sunday (A) [Mt 25:1-13]

08.11.2026

The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids

Readings: (1) Wis 6:12-16 (2) 1Thess 4:13-18

1.    Theme in brief

Wisdom and foolishness in Christian life

2.    Focus Statement  

We ought to live our Christian life wisely with sufficient foresight and be prepared to meet Christ with the light of faith burning in our hearts even if he comes at an unexpected hour.

3.    Explanation of the text

Going beyond the strict understanding of a parable, this Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids (or Virgins) indicates word for word meaning for its contents (as in an allegory): the bridegroom is Christ; Bridegroom’s arrival is Parousia (that is, the second or final coming of Christ); the wise and foolish bridesmaids are the good and bad Christians waiting to meet Christ at Parousia; the wedding banquet is the joy of God’s Kingdom yet to come (heaven); the lamp seems to be our faith; and the oil are the good works or authentic Christian life. Some authors consider God’s grace as the oil which keeps the lamp of faith burning. Surprisingly, the bride is never mentioned in this parable; maybe because the Bridegroom (Christ) is the central figure here. But from the commonly used image of the NT, we can very well conclude that the bride’s presence is presupposed and along with her ten  companions she represents the Church or Christian community waiting for the Lord to return.

The text says that among the bridesmaids who went to meet the bridegroom, five were foolish and five were wise (25:1-2). It points out the difference between the wise and foolish bridesmaids: the former ones take the provision of oil for their lamps and the latter do not; the former know about the possibility of the bridegroom coming at any time (even at night), but the latter are sure that he will not come at night; and the former go with the bridegroom into the wedding banquet and the latter are shut out (25:10). The foolish virgins are foolish in many ways: they have plenty of opportunity to procure oil, but do not; whereas the wise ones do; they do not take their duty seriously; they are so forgetful, careless, negligent and lack foresight.

The main message of this parable is related to the main theme of Jesus’ preaching, namely, the Kingdom of God (or heaven as Matthew calls it). Those who respond to his message of the Kingdom with repentance and faith will be rewarded when it will finally come at the end of times (also called Parousia) and those who fail to do so will be totally rejected as the foolish virgins were. This parable probably serves as a warning to early Christians who hoped for an immediate Parousia. It tells them that the Lord may be delayed beyond their expectation and that they should prepare for the long wait reserving enough oil for their lamps. The return of the Lord – compared to the coming of the bridegroom to take his bride – is certain but the time is uncertain. Hence, the disciples should keep awake or be watchful always, for they know neither the day nor the hour of Parousia (25:13).

The Bridegroom is the Lord of surprises; he comes at midnight – the most unexpected time (25:6). The readiness of the wise virgins (25:10) indicates their preparedness to meet the Lord whenever he comes. His coming will separate the wise virgins from the foolish ones or those who are prepared from the unprepared ones.  The former ones will enjoy fellowship with the Lord and the latter will be rejected for ever. What a contrast: their joy and hope at the prospect and opportunity of meeting the bridegroom as maids of honour is suddenly shattered due to their lack of foresight. Once the Bridegroom arrives, there is neither the time nor the opportunity for the five foolish virgins to change their minds or make reparation for their negligence, carelessness and foolishness. There is a point of no return which cannot be reversed. Any amount of “Lord, lord, open to us” (25:11) will not work after the door is shut (25:10) – indicating that admission into God’s Kingdom is not automatic, just because one calls oneself a Christian. Jesus has already said: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven” (7:21).

4.    Application to life                     

As the liturgical year is coming to an end, the Church, through this gospel text, invites us to be prepared for the end of our lives or the end of the world by following the example of the wise virgins. The whole Church is like a Bride waiting to meet the heavenly Bridegroom when he comes at Parousia and to rejoice with him in the Kingdom of heaven. [Note: Here Matthew speaks about the future aspect of God’s Kingdom by beginning this parable: “Then the Kingdom of heaven will be like this,” 25:1]. Like the wise virgins we should persevere in good works to keep our faith alive. Christians who take their faith seriously and try to live by it are like the wise virgins and those who do not are like the foolish ones. We have to ask ourselves whether we are like the wise or foolish virgins in spiritual matters, or whether we live our Christian life wisely or foolishly, alertly or carelessly, and warmly or lukewarmly. It can happen that we get fed up of waiting for God and sleep over our duties. Just as the foolish virgins weren’t prepared for a long night of waiting and watching, we too can become careless to keep our faith burning brightly during the long waiting till Jesus returns or till the end of our lives. Lack of God’s miraculous intervention in our life (as we wish) may lead to tepidity (half-heartedness), routine and sleepiness (laxity and inactiveness).

Today we need to examine ourselves once again whether we are awake or asleep. Just like any wise driver who takes an extra wheel in his vehicle, foreseeing the possibility of getting a puncture in one of the tyres during the journey, we too need to apply similar farsightedness in spiritual growth and building up our character. None of us may want to hear these words at the end of our lives: “Truly I tell you the truth, I do not know you” (25:12). This is said of those who those who claim to be Christians only nominally, who go through certain religious rituals and traditions routinely, but do not take the values of the gospel as the norm of their lives. They only pretend to be what they actually are not. Hence, the gospel invites us to get rid of our spiritual complacency and take advantage of every opportunity we get to nourish our souls with God’s Word and sacraments, which give us the required energy to persevere in good works. Otherwise, we may get nothing after hoping for everything.

That all the ten virgins took lamps with them and were waiting for the bridegroom indicates, though all are Christians, some are so foolish that they do not possess oil. They have ‘lamps’ (faith) with them but lack ‘oil’ (good works or authentic Christian life). Due to lack of grace they are not able to oil their faith and progress in Christian character. Faith by itself, without good works, is dead (James 2:17) – the same as a lamp that has no oil in it. The folly of the foolish virgins consisted in their lack of foresight to think of the possibility of bridegroom coming late and not making provision for his delay. In this parable,  we are almost shocked at the selfishness or uncharitable behaviour of the wise virgins who refused to share their oil with those who begged for it (25:8). Good works, character and virtues can neither be borrowed nor be transferred to others, nor be obtained at the last minute. They need to be cultivated or earned with diligent efforts everyday by taking personal responsibility for our spiritual life and Christian commitment.

This parable further teaches us that we ought to keep the light of faith burning in our hearts till our heavenly Bridegroom comes to meet us at an unexpected hour. At any time in our life’s journey we may meet a serious crisis. When we enter into marriage/ religious life/ priesthood or take up any new responsibility or leadership roles, we do not know what challenges/ trials/ crises are awaiting us on the way. We should presuppose that there will be enough temptations on the way to be unfaithful, to slacken our initial enthusiasm and give up the fight. We need to apply the principle of foresight every now and then like the wise virgins to avoid evil and disaster by anticipating it in our minds or reflections. We need to ask ourselves whether we have the extra oil in reserve to resist the winds that may blow against our call and mission in life. In order to meet any crisis or eventuality on our life’s journey, like the wise virgins we need to be alert and make long-term preparation with sufficient reserve of oil. This oil is acquired by our contact with God, imbibing spiritual values and allowing them to be engraved in our hearts and building up our character day by day. Instead of doing so, we sometimes take it easy and neglect or postpone our duties. Carelessness in spiritual matters may make us easy victims to forces of evil and secular values.

Many of us suppose that only the foolish virgins slept off when the bridegroom delayed his arrival. But the text says clearly that all of them became drowsy and slept (25:5). At times, all of us sleep away our Christian life and commitment instead of living it. God gives us plenty of chances to mend our ways. But we cannot fool around for ever. Life is a serious venture and we must accept responsibility for our actions. Lack of farsightedness and preparedness may result in irreversible consequences like the foolish virgins. Once the door will be shut, any amount of knocking and pleading will not work. Once the opportunities pass us by due to our sleepiness, a sudden disaster may fall on us. Then it is useless to cry over spilt milk.

5.    Response to God's Word

Are we like the foolish virgins or wise ones who do not build their life purely on human resources and power? Do we live our Christian life wisely or foolishly, alertly or carelessly, and warmly or lukewarmly? Do we take our faith seriously and try to live by it like the wise virgins? Or are we nominal Christians who go through certain religious rituals and traditions routinely, but do not take the values of the gospel as the norm of our lives? Do we take advantage of every opportunity we get to nourish our souls with God’s Word and sacraments? Do we have sufficient foresight to keep spiritual stamina in reserve to resist the winds that may blow against our call and mission in life? Are we farsighted in spiritual growth and building up our character? What are the blunders we make due to our lack of farsightedness and preparedness to meet crises in life? In what way we neglect, postpone or sleep away our spiritual duties?

6.    A prayer

O heavenly Bridegroom, we are awaiting your second coming like a Bride with the light of faith burning in our hearts till we meet you. Come and receive us into your heavenly banquet. We regret for the times when we slept away our Christian life and commitment like the foolish virgins, instead of living it. Grant that we may be wise, shrewd and careful to carry out our spiritual duties and not foolish enough to build our life purely on human resources and power. Amen.

 

 

All Souls Day (A)

 

All Souls Day (A)

(Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed)

02.11.2026

Readings: (1) Wis 4:7-15 (2) 1 Thess 4:13-18

Gospel Reflections by Fr. Freddie Santhumayor SVD

A reading from the gospel according to Jn 11:17-27

N.B.: These reflections need to be adapted to any of the optional readings given for this day in the Lectionary or Liturgical Calendar [‘Ordo’].

Main Focus: Jesus gives the gift of divine (or eternal) life to those who put their trust in him, and those who receive this gift shall never die spiritually, even if they die physically.

In brief: Living for ever despite physical death

SYNOPSIS

For many Catholics, All Souls Day is a day of prayer for the ‘eternal rest’ of all the dead in their families. If we ask any of them, the reason for such prayer, naturally many of them would say that their prayer helps the dead to go to heaven from a state of purification called purgatory. Of course, this is true according to the teachings of the Catholic Church. But besides this, there are other reasons – not sufficiently emphasized or known to many – why we should pray for the faithful departed:

Our prayers for those who have died marked with the sign of faith are an expression or sign of our close relationship or bond that connects us with them even after death. All the faithful departed, though dead are still spiritually living with us. Since our communion with them is essentially spiritual, we express it by praying for them and offering the Eucharistic Sacrifice for their repose and purification from all imperfections before seeing the face of God. The saints in heaven also keep up this spiritual relationship with us by continually interceding with God on our behalf. Thus, “whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom 14:8); we are one spiritual family; one in the Lord. Does this thught console you when you remember them in prayer and Holy Mass?

Secondly, today’s solemn commemoration of the faithful departed, should generate in us thoughts about our own death and the hope of eternal life that Christ has given us. This hope is not based simply  on a wish that we should continue to live after death, rather firmly founded on our faith in the resurrection of Christ. Because he has conquered death, now death cannot separate us and the faithful departed permanently from the love of God. The Church reminds us that when we die, we too, like the faithful departed, shall complete the process of dying with Christ and rising to new life begun at baptism. She invites us to reflect on this paschal character of our death and gives us the hope that we shall be with Christ and share in the glory of his resurrection forever.

This hope helps us cope with life’s challenges, since it can sustain and support us in times of suffering and crisis. It gives a meaning to all the suffering, sorrow, pain and struggles of life. We firmly believe that our sufferings will not be in vain and an unimaginable reward is awaiting us. As St. Paul says, they are not worth comparing with the glory to come (Rom 8:18). If we hope for the ‘Gold Medal’ (heavenly reward) in life’s race, we have to go through a rigorous exercise of trials, suffering, struggles and hardships. Suppose we have no hope of getting any reward, why should and how can we suffer with serenity at all? It will be a harsh and horrible suffering with nothing to hold on.

By raising Lazarus from death in today’s gospel text, Jesus promises that he has the power to free those who believe in him from the bonds of spiritual or eternal death, that is, “an alienation from the life of God” for ever (Eph 4:18). When Jesus says in the present tense “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (11:25), he means that he is the source of our resurrection now because, by his divine power he can give spiritual and eternal life to those who are spiritually dead and raise them at the final resurrection of all the dead. The power which death holds over people to separate them from God and his divine or eternal life is defeated by Jesus’ resurrection. On All Souls Day we pray that this wonderful promise may be fulfilled in the lives of our dearly departed. Since they believed in him, even though they have died, will live for ever (11:25). This thought consoles us when we are saddened by the loss of our dear ones.

But there is a condition – put by Jesus to Martha and to each of us today – if this experience has to become applicable: "Do you believe this (11:26)?" In John’s gospel “to believe” means to put one’s trust in Jesus. Faith in Jesus creates such a close communion with him that divine life which is in him flows into believers. And physical death cannot cut off that life. One who has faith lives even after death, in fact never dies in spirit (11:25-26). The believers share not only Jesus’ divine life here on earth but also resurrection because, death cannot defeat the life of God (1 Cor 15:53-57). Hence, death’s curse and sting is removed by Jesus by his resurrection.

All Souls Day is a great day of remembrance and loving gratitude. Our prayers and Eucharistic Sacrifice are signs that we have not forgotten the love and service of our departed family members and other brothers and sisters in the Church when they were with us, and are united with them with an unbroken bond of love and unity even after their death. As Jesus has said to Martha in today’s gospel, the faithful departed, who believed in Jesus, even though have died, their love and service, the values they lived and proclaimed, the sacrifices they made, and the positive influence they exerted on us continue to live forever in our hearts and in our memory (11:25-26).. Therefore, today we raise our hearts in gratitude to God for what he has done for us through them and say “How great are you O Lord; you have done wonderful deeds for us through so many loved ones from generation to generation!”

Today, the Church makes us realize that this world is not our permanent home, and our earthly life is a pilgrimage to God. The impermanence of earthly life makes us ponder about the meanness or foolishness of getting excessively attached to worldly possessions, and putting our full trust in them, instead of God who alone is our security. This thought should motivate us to live qualitatively different type of life, different from merely working and slogging, earning and spending, eating and drinking and making merry, because it is a preparation for eternal life with God. If we do not live a life of purpose, we die several times before we actually die, and will be guilty of living a wasted life. Is it not?

A prayer

Remember our brothers and sisters, O merciful God, who have fallen asleep in the peace of Christ. Admit them to rejoice in the light of your face and in the resurrection give them fullness of life. When our earthly pilgrimage is done, grant that we too may live with you for ever in communion with all the saints. Amen.

To read the full text of my Gospel Reflections for All Souls Day, please go to my Blog by clicking on the following link:

 

http://freddygospelreflections.blogspot.com

 

 

Feast of All Saints (A)

 

Feast of All Saints [Mt 5:1-12]

01.11.2026

Readings: (1) Rev 7:2-4.9-14 (2) 1 Jn 3:1-3

1.    Focus Statement:   

All of us are called to lead a life of holiness by our baptism itself and grow into it by following the path laid down by Christ in his Beatitudes.

2.    Theme in brief

Our call to holiness

3.    Explanation of the text

According to today’s gospel text, traditionally called the Eight Beatitudes, true and internal happiness does not lie in wealth, success, pleasure, power, prestige and popularity, but in living or putting into practice the values of God’s Kingdom. The blessedness mentioned in this text is about serenity and inner peace and joy that is independent of what happens to us externally – a joy which cannot be taken away by sorrow, loss, pain and even death. Whereas worldly joy can come and go with fortune and success, this joy cannot be lost with the change of fortune or failure of our plans.

This sort of internal joy comes from acquiring the following attitudes:

1) Acknowledging one’s utter helplessness and putting one’s whole trust not in possessions or material things but only in God. It means acquiring a spirit of detachment from worldly wealth and becoming conscious of one’s total dependence on God (5:3);

2) Expressing solidarity with the broken-hearted of human society by weeping with those who weep, and by expressing sorrow for one’s own sins (5:4);

3) Keeping one’s passions and aggressive or violent instincts under control, and cultivating non-aggressive behaviour or action (5:5);

4) Longing for justice/ righteousness and holiness just as one longs for food when very hungry (5:6);

5) Feeling one with the feelings/ pain/ joy/ troubles/ problems of others with a compassionate heart (5:7);

6) Purifying one’s motives and intentions so that they do not become totally selfish, dubious, ulterior and adulterated (5:8);

7) Promoting and building up peace and reconciliation among people (5:9);

8) Suffering for justice or righteousness and for Christ’s values; as well as willingness to undergo persecution for the sake of Christ (5:10).

4.    Application to life                     

Today we rejoice in the Lord because innumerable of our brothers and sisters have achieved their life’s dream to be saints. We rejoice because we too share their joy and express our hope of reaching one day where they are. The saints are not a small caste of chosen people. Actually they are so innumerable that the Church may find it impossible to enlist all of them in her calendar. That is why today is a day to remember not only canonized saints but also innumerable saints who are not officially canonized by the Church. They are our brothers and sisters who lived an ordinary life in an extraordinary way and became models of Christian life and holiness in their own life-situations. Saints are our ‘heavenly heroes and heroines’. We do not imitate their external appearances or styles as people imitate film stars, but their virtues and example in living a holy life in the midst of ups and downs of life.

By baptism, we are called to a life of holiness and are promised by God a heavenly reward. At that time we establish a spiritual relationship with all our Christian brothers and sisters. That is not broken even by death. Whether we live or die, we all belong to one spiritual family. Our relationship is continued by our prayer to saints so that they may intercede for us with God, and by their prayer to God for our salvation and protection. According to today’s gospel, who are the saints? Why are they rewarded and called “blessed?” Saints are models of an exemplary Christian discipleship lived according to the norms of the beatitudes. What is their reward? In today’s gospel we can find an answer to these questions:

1)    They lived a life of detachment from material possessions and relied totally on God, and now they enjoy the reward of the Kingdom.

2)    They mourned over evil in their personal lives as well as in the world, and now they enjoy the comfort of heavenly glory.

3)    They were meek in admitting their sins and failures, and now they have inherited the Promised Land.

4)    They were hungry for God’s values, and now he feeds them with the heavenly banquet.

5)    They were merciful towards the needy and the erring, and now they enjoy God’s infinite mercy on them.

6)    They were pure in their intentions and dealings, and now they see God face-to-face.

7)    They were peace-lovers and peacemakers, not peace-breakers; now they enjoy the full dignity of God’s children.

8)    They went through rejection, persecution, trials and abuse for Christ’s sake, and now they have received the reward of the Kingdom.

Today’s feast invites us not to place our full security in material possession but in God alone; to mourn for the sins of the world and share our neighbours’ pain and sorrows; to humbly admit our wrongdoings and faults and make amends for them; to hunger for peace and justice; to be compassionate towards the needy and the marginalized; and to stand for Christ’s values even when there opposition and persecution. If we live by these values, we too have the hope of receiving the heavenly reward like the saints. If no, it is high time to strive to walk on the path of the beatitudes. If we remain faithful to our call as God’s children, we have the hope of achieving our ultimate destiny, i.e. a share in God’s glory. In other words, if we strive to live by the norms of the beatitudes, we shall get the reward promised in them.

The saints are those who showed the way how to live these values, though they too had their human weaknesses.  The values and ethical demands advocated by Christ in the beatitudes reverse the mentality and values of the world. The world considers plenty of money, wealth, power and bodily pleasures as the paths to real happiness. Jesus reverses this mentality in his beatitudes. We often think saints were extraordinary people who could practice these seemingly unattainable ideals of the beatitudes. Though in theory we know that we are called to a life of holiness from the day of baptism, in reality who of us wants to stand in front of the mirror and sincerely say: “I want to be a Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Lawrence, St Monica or Mother Teresa?” We find these ideals too hard to practice and do not even give it a try.

Actually, nobody is born a saint. All of us have to strive to become one by following the path of the Beatitudes. Whenever we put these values into practice we should be happy that we too are following the path of holiness. But since as humans we often fail to live up to these high ideals, we should always regret for not having done our best to advance in holiness. We walk on the road to holiness by not trusting totally in wealth, admitting our mistakes or sinfulness, comforting those who weep and suffer, not compromising with worldly standards, becoming peacemakers instead of peace-breakers. To be holy is to realize day after day that we are children of God. He is looking at each one of us with love, he is looking for each one of us even when we go astray, and he is looking after us with a providential care. Sadly enough, today, we have so many short-cut methods or ways contrary to those followed by the saints to attain momentary happiness and temporary relief such as habitual or addictive use of drugs, alcohol, sex, T.V., cell phones, internet, etc.

5.    Response to God's Word

Do we place our full security in God? Do we mourn over the miseries and sins of the world and share our neighbours’ pains? Are we humble enough to admit our sins and mistakes? Do we have a hunger for justice and righteousness? Are we compassionate towards the deprived and the marginalized? Do we have honesty and integrity of heart? Do we work to build bridges and bring reconciliation between warring and divided groups or persons? Do we stand for Christ’s values even when there is criticism, opposition, ridicule and persecution? Are we faithful to our baptismal call to holiness? Do we struggle to live a holy life in the midst of an unholy environment?

6.    A prayer

Lord, I do believe in the communion of saints. In the midst of all trials and temptations, grant me the grace to remain faithful to you so that I may attain the heavenly reward promised by you. Amen.