September 15, Wednesday

HOUSE OF THE LIVING GOD

TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

 

 

      We hear today the core of St Paul’s first letter to Timothy. The Church is the community of the living God that makes Christ visible to the world. At a time when Christians had no temples or churches, he speaks of the living Church, the body of the faithful, which must bear witness to the truth. Then he quotes a hymn in honor of Christ, who is at the core of our faith, for the truth is Christ present in the community. Is Christ visible in the Church? Is he credible in us as a community?

      Luke compares those who reject Christ and God’s prophets to spoiled children. Jews, and later the pagans for whom Luke writes, see John the Baptist and Jesus and the things they say and do, but they do not recognize these signs.

 

First Reading: 1 Timothy 3:14-16

I hope to visit you soon, but just in case I’m delayed, I’m writing this letter so you’ll know how things ought to go in God’s household, this God-alive church, bastion of truth. This Christian life is a great mystery, far exceeding our understanding, but some things are clear enough:

He appeared in a human body,
    was proved right by the invisible Spirit,
        was seen by angels.
He was proclaimed among all kinds of peoples,
    believed in all over the world,
        taken up into heavenly glory.

 

Gospel: Luke 7:31-35

“How can I account for the people of this generation? They’re like spoiled children complaining to their parents, ‘We wanted to skip rope and you were always too tired; we wanted to talk but you were always too busy.’ John the Baptizer came fasting and you called him crazy. The Son of Man came feasting and you called him a lush. Opinion polls don’t count for much, do they? The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”

 

Prayer

Lord our God,
you call your Church to be
an open house,
a community of welcome
in which people can encounter your Son.
Let your Son continue in us
his deadly struggle against all evil
and turn death and suffering
into springs of life and joy.
May thus the world believe
that he is alive among us
and that he is the Lord who lives for ever. Amen.

 

Reflection:

Dare to respond?

Jesus was gaining popularity and people began to raise questions: “Who is this?” Even John the Baptist who was assigned with the mission of preparing the way for the Messiah, now in prison, raises his concerns about whether Jesus is truly the Messiah. Jesus uses the occasion to speak words of high praise for John, “Of all the children born of women, there is no one greater than John.” Today’s passage is the continuation of this scene. Jesus confronts the religious leaders for their rejection of John the Baptist and Jesus himself. They had closed their minds and would not accept anyone who criticised their false traditions. Jesus finds their attitude so childish and calls on them to grow up. Are we open for change? The ones who know the rules of God the most – the religious leaders and the learned – are the ones who are often times the most blinded by their pride. They tend to believe that they alone have the whole truth, and refuse to pay attention to the voices around them. Pride and self-righteousness make them childish. It is important for us not to fall into such a trap. Discerning the voice of God is possible only when we are humble enough to see the face of God in the lives of poor people, whom we consider as so ordinary. God speaks to us in so many ways and through so many people and situations, through a saint or a sinner, through a man or a woman, through a refugee or a local person. No wonder, the tax collectors and sinners found a friend in Jesus – because he moved with them and ate with them on purpose – to reassure them they too are valued, appreciated and loved. Will our comraderies and fellowships be limited to those who are appreciated and respected in the society? Our identity as Christians demand from us to go beyond the normal customs followed by the society and not to restrict ourselves within our comfort zones. How would we imagine inviting some street-children or street sleepers, at least a few of them, to our campuses or to our houses and share a meal with them? Does it sound crazy? Indeed, Jesus has proposed to us a crazy life project. Dare to respond?

 

Video available on Youtube: Dare to respond?