Reflection on Today's Readings, Wednesday of 33rd Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1, and the Memorial of Elizabeth of Hungary, November 17th, 2021
Texts: 2 Mac. 7:1.20-31; Ps.17:1.5-6.8,15; Luke 19:11-28
Today's first reading reminds us of a wicked world and the undaunted spirit of the children of God in the face of death. We see a type of our Mother Mary in the woman of the first reading. She was a kind of woman one could hardly see anywhere. We could imagine the amount of sorrow and pain she endured. Those children were her joy and pride; she was bereft of her joy and pride. Mind you they were not wayward children but beloved ones. It is not easy, but with so much sorrow and pain, for parents to bear the death of a wayward child let alone a beloved child. The woman was bereft of her only seven beloved children! I am helpless in the face of her courage, her undaunted spirit. Are you helpless too? Here is a question to ask: what would be my reaction if I face the same situation like the woman? Perhaps, I will be brave like her and speak words of faith like her. Perhaps, I will just be crying. Perhaps, I will run away to avoid the scene. Perhaps, I will be questioning God. Perhaps, I will yield to the temptation to defile myself and my children. Asking such a question could remind us how weak and helpless we are. Who could pray for such a measure of temptation to be sent him without fear of falling! I could not because I am afraid I could fall. We need grace to survive such a measure of temptation. The woman was truly brave and gracious.
The secret of the woman's courage was her faith; she held firmly that God was the author of life and that He is the truth. To believe that God is author of life is to say that He has power to give life and also to take it. He is the truth because His word is yes and ever true. As the truth and author of life, His promise to give us our life back is certain and so no cause for fear when we are in God. Many of us profess God in words as the truth and author of life but do not hold it firmly. If we have faith in God as the truth and author of life, we will not fear death anymore. The woman displayed a mature faith. She left for us an example of heroic life. We also learn from her not to allow wealth and position of authority to lead us away from God, for she encouraged her son to spite the rewards of wealth and position of authority offered him by the king.
The woman challenges us to defend our faith. She encouraged her children to defend the law of God. In her words: "Therefore the Creator of the world, who shaped the beginning of man and devised the origin of all things, will in his mercy give life and breath back to you again, since you now forget yourselves for the sake of his laws." She also encouraged her last son to follow the path of heroic life, for she said to him, "Do not fear this butcher, but prove worthy of your brothers. Accept death, so that in God’s mercy I may get you back again with your brothers." When we stand up against all odds to defend our faith and follow heroic path, the enemies of our faith are put to shame. This is clear in the reading: "Antiochus felt that he was being treated with contempt, and he was suspicious of her reproachful tone."
Jesus Christ, in today's gospel reading, use a parable to tell us that the kingdom of God is not going to appear immediately. The parable reveals that we are entrusted with responsibilities to carry out as we await the appearance of God's kingdom. What should be our concern is our responsibilities; we are to be busy with them. Our responsibility is to keep the commandments of God; we are to love God and our neighbours. We learn, in today's first reading, that faithfulness to God could cost us our lives; we should always be ready to give it all.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary, whose memorial is today, teaches us that charity, works of mercy, is our primary responsibility. She was born into a royal family and married into a wealthy family at the age of 14; she married Louis, a nobleman of Thuringia. When Elizabeth was 20, her husband died. She was devoted to taking care of the poor, the sick, the diseased, etc. Before the death of her husband, she had built a hospice where she took care of them. She sold her jewels and costly dresses for charity. She later, after providing for her children, gave up all her possessions and joined the third order of franciscans. Her spiritual director wrote about her, saying, "Apart from those active good works, I declare before God that I have seldom seen a more contemplative woman. When she was coming from private prayer, some religious men and women often saw her face shining marvellously and light coming from her eyes like the rays of the sun. Before her death I heard her confession. When I asked what should be done about her goods and possessions, she replied that anything which seemed to be hers belonged to the poor. She asked me to distribute everything except one worn out dress in which she wished to be buried" (universalis, office of the reading of her memorial). This is touching: a woman born into a royal family and married into a wealthy family buried in a worn out dress. Saints are daring men and women, like the woman in today's first reading. They had exceptional personality. We have to be daring to be saint; we have to let go of the world to be saint.
Our participation in the kingdom of God is dependent on what we are able to make out of the responsibility entrusted to us. In the parable, one who made ten pounds was given ten cities; one who gained five pounds was given five cities. One who hid his master’s pound had nothing and the pound he had was given to another. The lesson from the parable is that everyone should use what they have to prepare for participation in the kingdom of God.
God our Father, renew in us your love and love of our neighbour, make us daring in loving you and our neighbours. Amen.
Fr. Andrew Olowomuke
Posts
0 Comments