WHAT ABOUT US?

TWENTIETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

August 17, Tuesday

      Here we have a typical story of the vocation and the saving work of a Judge. The people are unfaithful; God calls Gideon to liberate the people from the Madianite oppressors. Gideon asks and gets a sign of his mission.

      In today’s gospel Peter asks, “What about us, Lord?” and Jesus answers that it is difficult for those who are attached to things to enter the kingdom of heaven. We want to follow him. Have we given up everything for his sake? Where do we stand? What is our situation? Jesus promises eternal life. The poor shall be rich. Those who follow Jesus throughout, even losing their life, will live with God.

First Reading: Judges 6:11-24a

One day the angel of God came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, whose son Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress, out of sight of the Midianites. The angel of God appeared to him and said, “God is with you, O mighty warrior!”

Gideon replied, “With me, my master? If God is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all the miracle-wonders our parents and grandparents told us about, telling us, ‘Didn’t God deliver us from Egypt?’ The fact is, God has nothing to do with us—he has turned us over to Midian.”

But God faced him directly: “Go in this strength that is yours. Save Israel from Midian. Haven’t I just sent you?”

Gideon said to him, “Me, my master? How and with what could I ever save Israel? Look at me. My clan’s the weakest in Manasseh and I’m the runt of the litter.”

God said to him, “I’ll be with you. Believe me, you’ll defeat Midian as one man.”

Gideon said, “If you’re serious about this, do me a favor: Give me a sign to back up what you’re telling me. Don’t leave until I come back and bring you my gift.”

He said, “I’ll wait till you get back.”

Gideon went and prepared a young goat and a huge amount of unraised bread (he used over half a bushel of flour!). He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot and took them back under the shade of the oak tree for a sacred meal.

The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and unraised bread, place them on that rock, and pour the broth on them.” Gideon did it.

The angel of God stretched out the tip of the stick he was holding and touched the meat and the bread. Fire broke out of the rock and burned up the meat and bread while the angel of God slipped away out of sight. And Gideon knew it was the angel of God!

Gideon said, “Oh no! Master, God! I have seen the angel of God face-to-face!”

But God reassured him, “Easy now. Don’t panic. You won’t die.”

Then Gideon built an altar there to God and named it “God’s Peace.”

Gospel: Matthew 19:23-30

As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom? Let me tell you, it’s easier to gallop a camel through a needle’s eye than for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.”

The disciples were staggered. “Then who has any chance at all?”

Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”

Then Peter chimed in, “We left everything and followed you. What do we get out of it?”

Jesus replied, “Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel. And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields—whatever—because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. This is the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.”

Prayer

Lord our God,
we hold you to your promise
to those who have left everything
for the sake of your kingdom
and who are willing to follow your Son
wherever he leads them.
Let them be men and women
poor in the things that count on this earth
but rich with your love and your grace
and with a wealth of friends
to whom they can bring
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Reflection:

 A letter of reference from the poor

 “Nobody gets to heaven without a letter of reference from the poor!” Writes Fr. Ron Rolheiser in one his columns. The gospel makes a definitive proposal today: our entry into heaven will depend on our response to the poor. It is easy to miss the point here: Jesus isn’t saying that wealth is bad. Nor is he saying that the poor are more virtuous than the rich. There are so many virtuous people who are rich. So, what does Jesus mean when he says, it is hard for the rich to enter heaven? Matthew is making a point to his listeners: the dangers of riches are that the wealth blinds people so that they don’t see the need of the poor any more. But care should be taken not to glamorize poverty. Economic Poverty is not a moral virtue. The focus of the Gospel is to learn to utilise one’s resources and wealth responsibly and ethically. Our faithful must be educated on financial literacy. Judicious and responsible use of one’ wealth is the criterion for financial literacy. In one his popular parables , Jesus speaks of the Landowner who had a huge harvest on one occasion and he tells himself – “Eat, drink and make merry my soul.” Because your store-rooms are full and you can enjoy the rest of your life.” But the Lord calls him “fool.” Your resources and wealth are not meant for the store-rooms. They are like the “Manna.” They are good enough just for one day. On the second day, they get spoiled. Therefore, it needs to be shared. Disciples are promised great results for the sacrifices they make – not in the next life but here on earth… Of course the greatest wealth that man can have is our relationships. Jesus promises us with a hundred fold of parents, brothers and sisters. Sharing our resources with the poor make us one family – A family where we share all what we have.

Video available on Youtube:  A letter of reference from the poor