Telling the Truth and Paul's Confession

 Reflection on Today's Readings, Friday of 30th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1, October 29th, 2021
Texts: Romans 9:1-5; Ps. 147: 12-15.19-20; Luke 14:1-6
St. Paul tells us, today, what it means to tell the truth: it is when the conscience bears us witness. He puts it thus: "I am speaking the truth in Christ, I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart." The conscience bears us witness in the Holy Spirit when it adjudges our actions or words with the principles of the Holy Spirit to be right. Such conscience must have been enlightened, informed and formed by the Holy Spirit. Such conscience must have been abreast with the words of God. For our conscience to bear witness in the Holy Spirit, we must learn in the words of God the principles of the Holy Spirit.
The problem with the religious leaders who were on the lookout for Jesus was that their consciences were not enlightened, informed and formed by the principles of the Holy Spirit. Jesus opened their minds to the principles of the Holy Spirit when He says, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well, will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?" They were silent when their consciences bore witness in the Holy Spirit. We can be like them if we do not surrender our minds to be taught by the Holy Spirit in the words of God. Some of us are already like them; we stand against Jesus in our actions and words. If our consciences are enlightened, informed and formed by the Holy Spirit, we will know the truth and we will always do what is right. When we do what is wrong we will be remorseful and know that it is right to return to God. If consciences are formed by the Holy Spirit, we will not condemn ourselves but always learn, make reparation and move on with God.
One thing that we will not pass by in today's first reading is the confession of St. Paul. He says, "I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh." This confession of his inner feeling reveals him as a man who was ready to give all, including his own very self, for the salvation of others. He has always been a man that cannot stop beating my imagination. He wished that so be it if being accursed and cut off from Christ mean the salvation of the Jews, his brothers and kinsmen. I do not like standing beside Paul because it makes me feel I have done nothing yet to gain heaven. Do you feel like that too? If you examine your inner longing, can you say so be it if your being accursed would mean the salvation of your race? Can you and I see how strongly we cling to our lives? We are not ready to give up our time let alone our life. We are not ready to use our talent for God let alone human beings. In the name of making money with our talent we engage in indecent acts and corrupt the world.
The irony is that no one offers himself for the salvation of others will ever be accursed. I would have interpreted being accursed to mean being given up for death (Gal. 3:13), but being cut off from Christ means more than that. Being cut off from Christ suggests deprivation of salvation.
St. Paul tells us why he felt that way for his race: it was because he could not imagine a race so privileged to be lost. In his words: "They are Israelites, and to them belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever." They had all things they needed for their salvation and yet far from salvation. That is also an irony of life! In Christ we are also like them; we have all we need for our salvation. Our lost bespeaks ingratitude; we are simply ungrateful for all we have in Christ if we are lost. Let us learn from  the people before us and so avoid the mistakes they made. If our consciences are enlightened, informed and formed by the Holy Spirit, we will not be lost like them.

Pour into our hearts, O Lord, the love of Your words so that our consciences will be enlightened, informed, and formed by the principles of the Holy Spirit and thus bear witness in the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke