"Lord, here is your talent. I wrapped it up in a piece of cloth, for I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow."
Gospel of Luke
When I was in Diaconate Formation, my children were quite young; nine, ten and eleven. This process included interviews with all family members to see how things were going. During one of the family interviews, I remember explaining about all the things I was involved in; at work, courses I was taking, ministry at the church etc. After I had finished, I recall my oldest son quickly coming in and saying: "My dad is quite busy, but we don't see him as much any more." This was certainly a wake-up call.
Both the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke contain the parable of the "talents". In Matthew, only three servants were given talents of different amounts. In Luke's Gospel, ten servants were given one talent each with which to do business. But the message of the two Gospels are the same. The negligent servant in both Gospels is quoted as saving: "Lord, here is your talent. I wrapped it up in a piece of cloth, for I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow."
The reaction of many people when they hear this parable is guilt. Why guilt? Because it generates the question - Am I doing enough? We picture in our minds that to pass the test we have to be the one who is most busy, who is at the centre of every activity. But this Gospel parable is not about busyness. Neither is it about the multiplication of our money. It's about trust and faith.
Do you have trust and faith that God loves you unconditionally? Is that trust and faith integrated into your life to the point that it affects and influences your relationships with others?
If you look at Jesus' own life, you discover that He was not about busyness or being at the centre of every activity. Jesus came from an obscure Nazareth village. He did a bit of carpentry work in His early years but left that for other pursuits. He had no university degrees. He did not seek or attain fame or fortune. He wrote no books. He belonged to no committees or organizations that I know about. He depended largely on others for His personal needs which were minimal. And yet, more than any other person, He touched the lives of others. He was present to them in a way that changed their lives. He had complete faith and trust in a relationship with One He called "Father", and this relationship moved Him into every action that He performed.
The difficulty with the servant who took his talent and hid it in a piece of cloth was that he did not have faith and trust in God's unconditional love for him. His life did not reflect the awesome presence of God's abundance and goodness because his heart was closed and fearful. The little he had of the very thing he needed the most was lost to him because he chose to remain closed from God's creative presence.
The question that arises from all this is not: "Am I doing enough?". The question that should arise is: "Are there ways in which I am shutting out God's love that prevents me from seeing His goodness and abundance?" What do I need to change so that this goodness is reflected in my life and shared with the people I encounter; my spouse, my children, my friends and neighbors, those with whom I share faith, the stranger I meet in my daily journey? These are the moments that give witness to God's Kingdom. These are the moments that Jesus was able to live so well.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Experiencing God - 193 Amazement and Gratitude
"Now as they were going away, the ten were cleansed. Finding himself cured, one turned back praising God at the top of his voice, and threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked Him."
Gospel of Luke
In the above Gospel, Luke gives an account of the cure of the ten lepers, of whom only one thanked Jesus. This Gospel is much more than a story about ten people who were healed of their physical ailment. It's about the disposition of the heart of those who were cured.
Back in my late twenties when I had my own deep encounter with Christ, there were two things that I remember most about the experience. The first was the sense of amazement that such a think would happen to me in the first place. It was quite unexpected, and it therefore struck me with a sense of awe. The second thing I remember and it continues to be with me today is the sense of gratitude to Christ that it would happen at all. It is this immense gratitude that moves us into a new relationship with Christ. It is this immense gratitude that causes a shift in our priorities. Our focus and attention is no longer on ourselves but has shifted to Christ.
If you look at stories of miracles and conversion in the New Testament, you will find that these qualities of amazement and gratitude are common. The man who was healed of his physical handicap at the temple gate by Peter and John went away with them walking, jumping and praising God. The man that Jesus healed at the pool of water called Bathsadia immediately rose up, took his mat, rolled it up, and went on his way in amazement, praising God. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus were amazed when they finally recognized the person who was travelling with them on the road. In their excitement, they returned all the way back to Jerusalem to tell their companions.
This amazement and gratitude is what makes us effective witnesses to Christ. It reveals our true change of heart. Gratitude or gratefulness expresses a thankful disposition, is related to the receiving of grace, and causes us to respond in acts of thanksgiving.
Recently, many of us attended a workshop where our Archbishop presented his new pastoral plan for the next five years. His plan focuses on three main initiatives - mission, community and formation. As we begin to explore these three initiatives, we will be asked to do some discernment surveys in which we will be asked to reflect on a serious of questions. For example, the first question we will be asked on the mission initiative is: "Am I comfortable in speaking about my relationship with Christ?
The point I would like to make is that when we have that personal encounter with Christ that leaves us with that sense of amazement and gratitude, then we become effective witnesses of that encounter to others. The gospel above about the healing of the lepers gives expression to that change of heart.
Ten lepers were healed of their physical ailments, but only one returned in amazement and gratitude praising God. Only one returned with a changed heart and a changed life. To this one, Jesus says: "Go your way, your faith has saved you." What happened to the other nine? We do not know, but this one, a Samaritan, experienced a true conversion of heart.
From the letter of Titus, we read: "But when the goodness and loving kindness of God appeared, God saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy.
It is through amazement and gratitude, the actions of Grace, that we are able to freely and easily give witness to Christ.
Gospel of Luke
In the above Gospel, Luke gives an account of the cure of the ten lepers, of whom only one thanked Jesus. This Gospel is much more than a story about ten people who were healed of their physical ailment. It's about the disposition of the heart of those who were cured.
Back in my late twenties when I had my own deep encounter with Christ, there were two things that I remember most about the experience. The first was the sense of amazement that such a think would happen to me in the first place. It was quite unexpected, and it therefore struck me with a sense of awe. The second thing I remember and it continues to be with me today is the sense of gratitude to Christ that it would happen at all. It is this immense gratitude that moves us into a new relationship with Christ. It is this immense gratitude that causes a shift in our priorities. Our focus and attention is no longer on ourselves but has shifted to Christ.
If you look at stories of miracles and conversion in the New Testament, you will find that these qualities of amazement and gratitude are common. The man who was healed of his physical handicap at the temple gate by Peter and John went away with them walking, jumping and praising God. The man that Jesus healed at the pool of water called Bathsadia immediately rose up, took his mat, rolled it up, and went on his way in amazement, praising God. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus were amazed when they finally recognized the person who was travelling with them on the road. In their excitement, they returned all the way back to Jerusalem to tell their companions.
This amazement and gratitude is what makes us effective witnesses to Christ. It reveals our true change of heart. Gratitude or gratefulness expresses a thankful disposition, is related to the receiving of grace, and causes us to respond in acts of thanksgiving.
Recently, many of us attended a workshop where our Archbishop presented his new pastoral plan for the next five years. His plan focuses on three main initiatives - mission, community and formation. As we begin to explore these three initiatives, we will be asked to do some discernment surveys in which we will be asked to reflect on a serious of questions. For example, the first question we will be asked on the mission initiative is: "Am I comfortable in speaking about my relationship with Christ?
The point I would like to make is that when we have that personal encounter with Christ that leaves us with that sense of amazement and gratitude, then we become effective witnesses of that encounter to others. The gospel above about the healing of the lepers gives expression to that change of heart.
Ten lepers were healed of their physical ailments, but only one returned in amazement and gratitude praising God. Only one returned with a changed heart and a changed life. To this one, Jesus says: "Go your way, your faith has saved you." What happened to the other nine? We do not know, but this one, a Samaritan, experienced a true conversion of heart.
From the letter of Titus, we read: "But when the goodness and loving kindness of God appeared, God saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy.
It is through amazement and gratitude, the actions of Grace, that we are able to freely and easily give witness to Christ.
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