I am again grateful to those who attended the memorial mass yesterday for our former Priest, the late +Fr. Lorenzo Torrente. Again, may his soul rest in peace.
Today is the 16th Sunday after Pentecost. When we are in sorrow, in pain or in a difficult situation, we seek guidance and strength from God. This is exactly the message of St. Paul from the first epistle, we need to pray. St. Paul is praying for hearts that can receive God’s grace which is precisely the reason for which we pray. If God gets hold of my heart, your heart and our hearts, then we not only discover the gift of God’s grace, but rather we live differently because of His gift of grace.
St. Paul says, “He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened by His Holy Spirit with might unto the inward man.” St. Paul prays for Ephesians to pray for inner strength through the Spirit. Sometimes we lose our strength so we find God’s strength like King David who was given strength by God to handle worse and difficult situations well. Maybe God has His wisdom that as we go through all those trials, He might allow us to get weaker before we can get stronger, so that we may understand His given grace, right? Just like a trainer, he exposes us to a rigorous regiment like painful exercises. Despite all that pain, it is still the first step in getting stronger so that we may see all our weaknesses. The Holy Spirit helps us see our weakness so that He can fill us with God’s strength. Therefore, we pray for inner strength to grasp God’s grace. Praying is entrusting everything to God’s disposition. Listening and speaking are necessary in prayer, acknowledging that Christ is dwelling in our hearts.
Today we heard the gospel according to St. Luke 14:1-11. It begins with another confrontation between Jesus and some religious leaders on a sabbath. The pharisees were watching Him closely. Far from being challenged, Jesus asks them, “Is it lawful to cure people on the Sabbath or not?” According to the Law as interpreted by the scribes and pharisees, it was not allowed, but because it involved healing and curing, Jesus made it difficult for them to protest, so they did not give an answer, and they were silent without any further comment.
So, Jesus took the man, healed him on the spot and sent him off. Then Jesus asked another question, “If one of you has a child or an ox that has fallen into a well will you not immediately pull them out on a Sabbath day?” They had no answer. They accused Jesus of doing an unlawful act according to rabbinic interpretations. However, in truth, Jesus was not going against the Mosaic Law itself. Jesus is clear that the law was there for the people and not the other way around. It means His miracle shows that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). Rather, it reveals to us the most important priority of Jesus, that is, the well-being of people.
Sometimes we fail to help others because we are afraid of what people might say or how they might judge us. No one who acts out of genuine love for others can go wrong. Our pure intention of loving others can’t be sinful. It is God’s ultimate desire to always do righteous acts.
This story about the healing brought to us by Jesus even during the Sabbath means that:
First, Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. God made the Sabbath to be observed by the people to give glory, honor and thanksgiving to this loving God who continues to walk with us. There must always be a day where we truly pause and dedicate our time for Him, but not being legalistic by not doing something good to help others in need. It is a day to find rest and peace in God’s Word, to communion with God through the Eucharist, and a day to remind us of the eternal rest the Savior would bring.
Second, Jesus’ miracles are never about the miracle per se. They are signs pointing to something more important, that is the sign pointing to Jesus being the true Messiah and the unfolding of His Kingdom.
Third, Jesus wants to reveal to the scribes and pharisees that they have a wrong view about God, but rather, through Jesus, He specifically reveals God’s heart. Jesus came to have a better understanding of God because we cannot fathom God. Our thoughts aren’t His thoughts; His ways aren’t our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).
The main reason God invites us to take time each week to come here, to come around the table of the Lord in the celebration of the Holy Mass, is that God invites us for our sake, not for His, for our presence adds nothing to His greatness. We receive the Word, His Body and Blood in communion, not to get out and do nothing but to serve and glorify God better by healing the sick, feeding the hungry and making this world a better place.
The fact that you come here, you should view this like stopping at the gasoline station to refill your car with gasoline, because the whole reason God wants you to stop and sit and rest and listen is to refill you with His grace and blessings and to be HEALED.
God bless you.
Fr. Arlon, osa
