NINETEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR "C"

Cycle “C”: Luke 12, 32 – 48

 

Once upon a time, a little boy lived with his parents, poor peasants, in a simple hut in the woods. The parents loved their child, and he returned their love and was a good son to them, young as he was. Also living with the family was the grandfather of the little boy. He was old and frail and no longer able to work. He sat all day in his chair, and when he came to table he was so shaky that he could hardly eat, and made a mess around his place. One day his trembling hand caused him to drop and break his platter and spill all the food on the ground. The boy’s mother was furious; she shouted at the poor old man, shook him and said that henceforth he would eat all his meals from a wooden bowl as he was not fit to eat from a plate like normal people. Ashamed and humiliated, the old man withdrew from the table to a corner, where, isolated and lonely, he ate only from a wooden bowl like a baby.

Now one day the parents noticed their little boy busy with a knife and a block of wood. “What are you doing ?   What are you making ?” they asked. The little boy answered, “I’m making bowls for you both to eat out of when you are old. Then nobody will shout on you.” At this the parents were shocked into realising what they had done. They burst into tears, embraced the old man and drew him back into the family circle, where he lived out his days, cherished and honoured.

Children can also teach us patient tolerance. And it was St. Teresa of Avila who said, “Patient endurance attaineth all things.” Patient endurance calls for much spiritual strength. There were people who accomplished great things with some genius and exceptional perseverance. Edmund Hilary conquered Everest in May 1953 at his second attempt. Horatio Nelson, the naval hero, suffered from seasickness all his life, yet could win the Battle of Trafalgar. Thomas Edison tried two thousand different materials in search of a suitable filament for the electric bulb.

In today’s Gospel we are invited to await the return of the Lord, not by trying people’s patience, but by helping one another to bear our trials in patience. Patience, however, is an active virtue, a dynamic quality. In the first reading we heard the instructions for the Passover: the paschal lamb is to eaten with the loins girded, sandals on the feet, staff in hand. The message is: “You are not a static people. Be ready to move, ready for change, for new challenges, new experiences.” In today’s gospel, surprisingly, Jesus compares himself to a thief who unpredictably burgles a householder. He will return, and his return will be a surprise, but not to those whose lamps are burning. That means keeping faith alive and actively working for God’s kingdom. How gently, how touchingly, domestically Jesus describes what the Master will do for these faithful people. “He will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them.” What a beautiful image of the Father’s house! 

We know these great truths and want to live by them, yet often our hearts are engaged elsewhere. We get absorbed in the challenge of our jobs and projects, or the enjoyment of our recreation or hobbies. We are caught up in the fears of the future, of illness, of failure, of losing our jobs. We can be consumed by anxieties and worries about our children and their future; about house expenses, about saving against a rainy day. The tyranny of the urgent, what we have to get done, and the deadlines we have to meet drive us relentlessly, make us irritable, and eclipse in our minds the great truths of our faith. We must stand against them, remaining supple, receptive and self-possessed.

 

PRAYER: Based on a meditation by Mother Janet Stuart (1857-1914)

Lord, I know that

I am not at my best when

I am most exuberant and most impetuous,

but when I am trying to pull as steadily

and bravely as I can

in the direction you have sent me.

Stay with me when

I am swamped by weariness

and seeming impossibilities.

Turn my face gently towards you;

keep my heart loving

and my will determined

to fight on to the end.