Meditation
for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
(Wisdom
18:6-9; Heb 11: 1-2, 8-9; Lk 12:32-48)
We all like free gifts, but how much value do people attach
to things that did not cost them anything? It is obvious that the value we
attach to things is closely related to the extent of the commitment and
sacrifice associated with it. What if God’s gracious gifts and salvation do not
require any form of commitment from us? They will become of less value to us.
God goes ahead of His children in showing commitment and
faithfulness. He alone gives us gifts of eternal value, and gifts of the highest
value. The first reading from the Book of Wisdom talks about God’s fulfilment
of His promise to Israel of old. The deliverance of the righteous and the
destruction of their enemies were achieved at the same time. The same act that
proved God’s love for them, was the same that put their enemies to shame. In
response, the people offered sacrifices, and with one accord agreed to the
divine law.
Now, God’s one act of deliverance for His people is offered
in a perfect way in Christ Jesus. By the one perfect offering of Jesus, the righteous
are saved from the grasp of their enemy, Satan, and the Kingdom of God is given
to them. “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give
you the Kingdom.” The response we give is faith in the one who has given us
this perfect gift. The second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews says, “Faith
is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Such assured
hope in Jesus Christ becomes our way of life. By this one expression of faith,
we thank God for delivering us from the hands of our enemies, and at the same
time, we embrace the great gift of His Kingdom.
Such a life that is guided by faith in Jesus will
definitely place the Kingdom of God as its highest value. And to demonstrate
that God, His righteousness and His Kingdom is highest value, we must detach
ourselves from earthly possessions. Thus, Jesus says in the Gospel of today, “Sell
your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not
grow old, and with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief
approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your
heart be also.” Obviously, by the same act with which we discipline ourselves
and control our attachment to material things, by the same also do we demonstrate
our love and value for the treasures of the Kingdom of God.
There must be some physical commitment in the order of our
lives of the faith we have in Jesus, and the hope we have in His promises. What
we sacrifice to show our love and commitment cannot be equal to the great gifts
that await us as Children of the Kingdom (Rm 8:18). Our ultimate and greatest
self-sacrifice should be directed to that which is of the highest value. Jesus
says, “Everyone to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him
to whom men commit much they will demand the more.” Now we see why God will now
allow His children to be taken over by evil, since He has offered Himself in
Christ Jesus for our salvation. To those who receive this good news and respond
in faith, the second reading says, “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called
their God, for He has prepared for them a city.” Amen.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Sunday August 7th, 2022.
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