Breaking the Word

29^thWeek in Ord. Time, Thursday – 21^st October 2021 — Gospel: Lk 12,49-53

Fire and Water

Jesus uses the terms ‘fire’ and ‘water’ (baptism) to describe his mission. The prophets associated fire with God’s word. Jeremiah speaks: “Is not my word like fire? says the Lord” (Jer 23,29). Sirach says, “Then Elijah arose, a prophet like fire, and his word burned like a torch” (Sir 48,1). Fire is a symbol of testing and judgement; it is a way of God refining and purifying his chosen people. Jesus expresses his desire that his mission is to release people from the oppression of evil, and purify them with a fire, so that they will shine as God’s precious treasure. However, before his mission can be accomplished, Jesus himself has to undergo the test of baptism in his passion and death. Through his passion, Jesus will baptize God’s people with the “baptism of fire” (Lk 3,16) and introduce them into a glorious and eternal life. This is prefigured when we receive our baptism (Rom 6,3-5).

29^th Week in Ord. Time, Wednesday – 20^th October 2021 — Gospel: Lk 12,39-48

Great Expectations  

The idea of “to whom much is given, much will be required” is that we are held responsible for what we have and it emphasizes even great expectations. This statement of Jesus has become an idiom in Western culture and it is paraphrased by Uncle Ben for today’s world: “With great power comes great responsibility.” While these two phrases aren’t synonymous, they both speak of a common principle: We are responsible with only what we have been given. And the more you have been given, the greater the responsibility. If you are blessed with talents, wealth, knowledge, time, and the like, it is expected that you use them to glorify God and benefit others. It is easy to assume that only wealthy people have been “given much,” but, in truth, we have all been given much (1 Cor 4,7; Rom 12,3; Eph 4,7). We have been granted the abundant grace of God (Eph 1,3-10; 3,16-21; Rom 5,8-11; 8,14-17), the Word of God, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Jn 14,16-21; 16,13; Rom 12,6) meant for the mutual edification and growth of the church. Peter has said, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Pet 4,10).

Someone might misunderstand this principle by concluding that those with less have less responsibility. That is, they don’t have to be really responsible with the little that they have. Whether we have been entrusted with little or much, our commitment to faithful stewardship remains the same. The only thing that changes is not how responsible we should be, but rather, how much we are responsible for.  God isn’t concerned with how much or how little you have; he is concerned with what you are doing with what you have been given. In the end, those servants who faithfully steward the gifts entrusted to them will be rewarded upon the master’s return. Those who squander the time will be held responsible for their casual of their master’s resources.