Reflection on Today's Readings, Monday, 33rd Week in Ordinary Year II, November 16th, 2020
Texts: Rev. 1:1-4; 2:1-5a; Ps. 1:1-4.6; Luke 18:35-43
The call to always be ready for the return of our Lord is key to Christian life; our life as Christians is all about getting ready for the Lord to meet us fitting for himself. St. John alerts us to get ready for the Lord's return when he says, "Blessed are those who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and keep what is written therein; for the time is near."
He also reminds us, today, that living for the return of our Lord is a truth that has its source in God and revealed by Jesus Christ himself. He puts it thus: "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants what must soon take place; and he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw." Apart from the fact that the message is from God, the Truth himself, it passes what man should accept as truth, for Jews take as truth any message confirmed by three witnesses. St. John mentions three witnesses: Jesus Christ, the angel and John.
St. John, today, reminds us that Christian life is truth based, no deceit or lie. The message is true, and is to be accepted; whoever preaches the contrary should be rejected and such message should be termed heresy.
St. John calls on us all to take our preparation for the return of our Lord seriously; he calls on us not to lag behind in any area of our lives. Hence, God commended the people of Ephesus and also pointed out their lapses. He says, "I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear evil men but have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and found them to be false; I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first."
We have a lot to learn from the people of Ephesus; they had good works, they toiled for the faith, they had patient endurance. They experienced and endured the challenge of fake apostles. The apostles were fake because their ways of lives are contrary to the gospel values. It is still a challenge in our time. Some of us might have disappointed you, do not leave God or abandon your faith because of that, but pray for us as you would have wanted us to do when you fall, and then press forward to meet the Lord.
While the first reading talks of the revelation of Christ given to him by God, the gospel reading talks of Jesus Christ making the blind man to see. This means Jesus Christ does not only reveal the way, the truth and the life to us but also open our eyes to see: he reveals and opens our eyes to see what he reveals. Hence, we can say he has done all things well. Blessed be our God who reveals and makes us to see it.
Lord our God, we thank you for revealing to us the truth, the way and the life, and also for making us to see them, grant that we may live in accord with the truth as we await your coming. Amen.
Rev. Fr. Andrew Olowomuke
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