1 Corinthians 10, 12 - (2nd
reading)
The warning, Therefore, whoever thinks he is
standing secure should take care not to fall.
Luke 13, 8-9 (Gospel)
Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall
cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the
future. If not you can cut it down.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Many
of us believe that we are saved by the passion of our Christ. And we can in
fact stand secure in that assurance. We have been given a seat in heaven, but
not without condition. We have been given the commandment to love each other,
and we are told that the way we love each other by engaging in charity. The
fruit referred here is the fruit that comes from the giving of ourselves to
each other in charity. Charity without exception, we must be willing to exercise
this command to give charity to the poor, charity to our enemies, and charity
to all those in greater need than ourselves.
In
much of the New Testament, the word Charity and Love are interchangeable.
Charity is a physical and emotional act of loving each other. Charity is caring
for someone without the expectation of any return, a totally gratuitous act of
compassion.
The
warning and the resolution are plainly listed here, cockiness and laziness may
get you cut down, and humility and compassion are the virtues of our Christ
that will help us maintain our place in heaven. This is how we transform
ourselves from self-absorbed children to the mature Christians of an all loving
God. Charity comes in many forms and not all can contribute equally. Each of us
has different talents that can be used in these acts of kindness. It is
necessary for each and every one of us to contribute in some way, large or small,
but always personally. That may mean filling boxes of food or clothing for the
poor, or helping in soup lines or giving to your favorite charity that also
supports these types of actions. I must point out that this must be a gift of
freewill. Therefore taxes that are collected by the government, even though
they may support some charity in some way, doesn’t really fall into this
category. Charity must be a free and deliberate gift of self; otherwise it’s
not really charity.
Today’s
readings are indeed a warning and resolution. Cultivate the ground and work in
humility, and pray with this same essence of hope that the seat of our
salvation will be available when we arrive at the gates of heaven.
Scripture is from the NABRE
by David E. Gonzales
No comments:
Post a Comment