DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(2 Kings 4: 8-11, 14-16; Rom. 6: 3-4, 8-11; Matt. 10: 37-42 13th Sunday of the Year A, 2017)
One of the greatest gifts God gives to any human being is the gift of the sacrament of Baptism. Baptism is for us, both death and life. Through it we enter into Christ’s death and we die to lives of selfishness and sin. Through it, we rise with Christ to a new life freed from everything that previously held us down. This is what Paul wishes to teach us, in the 2nd reading of today, through the symbolism of baptism by immersion. While the decent into baptismal waters can symbolize Christ’s decent into death, there is another dimension of the water imagery that strengthens Paul’s argument. According to ancient tradition, the cosmic waters were chaotic, therefore, death dealing (Gen 6-9; Job 22,11; Psalm 73,13-14; Isaiah 27,1). To be engulfed by water was to be swallowed up into chaos of death. This symbolism lends itself to describing both the death of Christ and Christians’ baptism. Christ was plunged into the chaos of death; the Christians are plunged into the death of chaos. By the power of God, Christ rose to a new life of glory; by the power of God the Christians are raised to the glory of a new life. As glorious as this new life might be, it requires death to our old ways of living, and this is always difficult. By this, we are called to be disciples, to become new creations, to be prophets in the world. By virtue of our baptism we are called to be sent, to share the gift we have received from God and to witness to the gospel. This can either be, by means of active missionary apostolate or by supporting the course of mission in other different capacities. Among the themes of the readings of today is the call to selflessly offer up our time, talents and wealth for the spread of the gospel of Christ. We have example of this in the story of the Shunemite woman. The woman of Shunem, as the first reading informs us, decided to play host to Elisha, even without knowing whom he really was, for the simple fact that she perceived him to be a man of God. One observes that this Shunamite acted the way she did without hoping for material gain. She went ahead to welcome Elisha as a member of her family, showing that she approved of his mission and was ready to share in it. Interestingly, this woman was only expressing a motherly affection for a man of God, and never imagined that Elisha could be of any help to her. But God, through the mouth of the prophet Elisha, compensated her with a prophet’s reward by promising her a child, her husband’s old age notwithstanding. The woman welcomed a prophet and received the rewards of a prophet as Jesus enunciated in today’s gospel. This demonstrates that God does not allow any one outdo him in generosity.
Last Sunday, Jesus enjoined his disciples not to be afraid in the proclamation of the gospel, by assuring them that the Father knows their needs and cares for them. In today’s gospel, he seems to be calling the attention of the generality of Christians to the fact that this work of God demands our collective support for its sustenance. He assures us that such show of solidarity goes with its own rewards. Thus, Jesus reminds us that anything done to a messenger of his is as if it were done to him and God. Since Jesus was the agent of God sent into the world to accomplish God’s plan, and since the disciples are agents of Jesus sent into the world to continue that mission, those who are open to the disciples are also open to Jesus and God. Even though hospitality was presumed in Jewish Society of Jesus time, Jesus promises that generosity done to a disciple will not go unrewarded.
It would not be wrong here to remind ourselves of Jesus’ words in the grandiose scene of chapter 25 of the gospel of Matthew where He states: any time you have done these things (given assistance to the needy, welcomed people, visited the sick, given food to the hungry etc) to any of the little ones (the aged, the sick, the poor, the marginalized, prisoners, the handicapped) you did them to me. The spirit of generosity, hospitality and openness of heart towards others, especially those in need should really be proper characteristics of a true and authentic Christian. This is the spirit that should be cultivated, first and foremost, in our families, to be manifested in the mutual love of the spouses and love towards their children regardless of their state of health or performances in the society and also towards other members of the extended family. Such spirit is also to be verified in our parish communities that should be known for their welcoming spirit especially in the offer of assistance to the most needy members.
Today, we have to reflect on how much we have been contributing to the advancement of Christ’s mission on earth. Do we encourage and appreciate the efforts of those who have taken this task as their life endeavor? Or are we simply passive, or even go as far as sabotaging the little efforts of these servants of God. As members of Christ’s Body, we are all called upon to work for its sustenance, by assisting those who had to leave their families and other comforts of life in order to commit themselves to the service of God. We can, therefore, offer this assistance through material aid or more importantly, encourage them by our show of love, appreciation, prayers, solidarity and sense of fraternal understanding. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye
No comments:
Post a Comment