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Reflections
for Sunday, October 6, 2013
The words of the Lord in the Gospel today put us on the alert: we are here
to serve God. This is not something onerous because this is a God who
always loves us. On the other hand, He wants us to listen to Him and to
understand His love and His way of living in this life. So often we only
want our way of living and then we try to justify it somehow in our
relationship with God.
The first reading today, from the Prophet Habakkuk, reminds us also that
this world belong to the Lord. He will have His way. This can sound scary
and many of us have heard the words of the Lord used to scare us. Yet
ultimately, it is the Lord begging us to listen to Him so that we can know
the way of peace and walk on the road of salvation.
The Second Letter to Timothy tells us that God did not give us a spirit of
cowardice but rather of power and love and self - control. In our lives,
sometimes we want only free to love and we want and a freedom so that all
of our actions will be right without us having to work at them. The author
of this letter reminds us that we must bear our share of hardship for the
gospel. We who have come to know the Lord also know that His way of life
for us is filled with joy—but requires power and love and self - control.
Unless we have a deep and personal relationship with Jesus Christ, probably
not much in these readings will touch us. Only if we have come to know the
Lord and His love for us are we able to take up the strong task of living
His words and walking in His path. This is not because He wants us to
suffer but because to live the divine life means that we must recognize in
ourselves what is not divine and begin the work of allowing the Lord to
transform us. That is difficult work indeed!
Both the first reading and the gospel speak of the necessity of faith!
Habakkuk tells us that the just one will live by faith. Surely this sounds
so easy! Once we set out on the path, however, we begin to realize how
difficult it is to live by faith in every circumstance, seeking only what
God wants, seeking only to walk in the way of the Lord.
Yet there is always cause for rejoicing because Jesus promises to be with
us in every circumstance of our life. Too often we forget to be still in
His presence and ask His Spirit and to rejoice in His love. All it takes
is to be still in His presence. We need do nothing more except be aware
that there is a God and that He loves us. He loves us in Jesus Christ!
Let us pray this Sunday with the apostles: Lord, increase our faith! Let
us know Your love and we shall be saved!
Readings of the day:
First Reading: Habakkuk 1.2-3; 2.2-4
Second Reading: 2 Timothy 1.6-8, 13-14
Gospel: Luke 17.5-10
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