OMELIE / Omelie EN

11 ago 2019

11/08/2019 – 19th Sunday in O. T. Year C

11/08/2019 – 19^th Sunday in O. T. Year C

Reading 1 WIS 18,6-9 * Psalm 32 * Reading 2 HEB 11,1-2.8-19 * Gospel LK 12,32-48

Today’s readings are making us thinking again of the topic we heard about last Sunday. We are only temporarily on this Earth, walking towards an ultimate homeland! The One who loves us is awaiting us outside the boundaries of this world!

The book of Wisdom is highlighting the care that God takes of His people: He gave it signals in order to guide it while they “go out to a place” and He has protected it from the dangers which no man on his own could save himself from. The saints, those who want to be owned by God, to always enjoy His guidance, have provided themselves with a rule of communion to be kept in every situation, communion based on the praise of God!

In this poetic page we can see described the Church: it is the people that experiences the foreign country in the story, in some moments very difficult, in this world; it does this with great trust and joy: it knows in fact to be guided by God and to be of help for all the peoples on Earth! The rules of the journey are taken from the very mouth of Jesus, who sets them firmly and with trust!

Jesus’ advice to His disciples are meant to let us live in the kingdom that your Father is pleased to give you! The Father needs to be able to show Himself always as a Father, and therefore we should behave towards Him in a way that does not lower Him either to the level of a master or of a servant. It is necessary complete trust. This can grow in us more and more while we move it away from the things, wealth, treasures which normally keep the man's heart busy. Jesus therefore is advising we do the very opposite of what we would instinctively tend to. He is advising us to sell what we own, to be generous, to give away everything. We will not be focused any more constantly on how to safeguard the money and the property, or on how to make profit. We will be free to busy our heart with relationships based on love, useful relationships, which can put an end to the deepest hunger of our being and make us able to share joy and serenity with others. “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be”.

He, Jesus, will not always be with His own people, He will go to accomplish the act of His greatest love, to give up His life, so He will go to “a wedding”. But then He will come back, and coming back He will not forget His servants! Telling the parables Jesus is talking about Himself in order to help His own to grow in the relationship with Him, to live it with deep love. He is not a regular master. When He will be back He will pay attention to the behaviour His servants have kept, He will understand if they are waiting for Him or not. From how they are waiting for Him He will understand if they love Him, if they are faithful, if they have kept alive the relationship with Him even while He was away.

Jesus does not forget His own people's love, love that becomes services to one another. In order to reward them He will become their servant on His turn: “he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them”.

Perseverance, faithfulness, vigilance: these are the behaviours that make love true and concrete, and life precious and blessed. Of these behaviours is full Abraham’s faith, which the letter to the Hebrews is giving us as an example: “He was looking forward to the city with foundations”! From Him we learn to live waiting for our homeland, to keep our eyes fixed on it, and in it on whom is the centre of it, the Lord Jesus.

To live awaiting the coming back of the Lord does not mean for us to do nothing, not even only pray, even less to be afraid. I remember the joy of a man who knew his death was very near, maybe eight or ten days. He was asking me what he should have passed them doing. Surprised and with faith I answered: “Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment”. With his eyes shining for joy, he could not stop thanking me!

The employment of Jesus’ disciples is always to serve, a service coming from love and listening to His Word. Their job, even when it costs effort, even when it is a cross, is always a source of life, joy, freedom. During any work the disciples are always careful to love their Lord, because they know He loves them. He is at the wedding, He is presenting His life to His bride, the Church, and therefore they too want to take part in the same love of His by giving themselves up, serving joyfully the brethren where the Church need them to be for its mission in the world! Without worrying about it, they will fill Him with joy when He will be back!