Bible
Study: Romans 12, 5 to 16. And Luke 14, 15 to 24.
Like a
gentle breeze after a heavy downpour, today’s readings come as a gentle wave
after yesterday’s celebration. Remembering the dead honestly comes along with a
lot of pain mixed with fear, hope and wonder so I guess yesterday must have
been a very reflective one for us. But today, St. Paul is reminding us of our
essential unity, a unity that exists binding us firmly together even though we
are not able to see it.
Yes, we
may fight each other on earth, pick up quarrels here and there, we may even go
to war with each other but the truth is that we all come from the same God and
when we die, we shall all return to the same God. And God is not divided, if he
created Black people, he also created White People meaning that both White and
Black people are the same and even while we seem to be separate individuals we
are remain one essentially. It takes only an enlightened mind to see that even
when we claim to be standing on our own, we are still one.
When you
are able to understand and appreciate this mysterious oneness, you then see the
reason why even your best efforts at fighting someone else always leaves you
restless and unhappy. By trying to take away someone else’s peace, you always
end up without peace yourself. But on the other hand, it should surprise you
that the same quantity of food which when eaten alone fails to fill your
stomach suddenly leaves you feeling satisfied when shared with others.
Furthermore, you wonder how this saying is so true: that the way to be happy is
to make others happy.
Does it
mean when I am not happy and yet try to make others happy, I become suddenly
happy? Yes. But Why? Each time we give something out, we get it back in a
double measure. How does it work that way? Because we are basically one. We are
all one. Then in that case, what is the point trying to make the world
uncomfortable for others? Why not give your best and exercise your talent to
the maximum capacity? St. Paul says, whatever you are good at, go ahead and do
it, do it not for the money, do it for the love, do it not to be praised, do it
because we all are one. If it is prophecy, then prophesy goodness, if your talent
is service, then serve everyone to the fullest, if it is teaching, teach well,
just name it. Whatever we do, let us put in cheerfulness. Rejoice in hope, be
patient even in tribulation.
Never see
a fellow human being as an enemy! This is the root of all the problems in our
world today. If all humans were to realise and accept themselves as one, I bet
you this earth would become another heaven. Greed arises because of mistrust of
others, we want to get as much for ourselves and try to keep it away as much as
possible from others because we feel they are not important. We want to live
and work only for our children or family members because we see them as our
blood forgetting that every single human being out there is also one with us
and that by being good to all, we are indirectly also securing the future of
our children. Just name it, all the vices you can think of, man’s inhumanity to
man is as a result of this erroneous thinking that we are separate individuals
in life. I wish today that we can begin to see how connected we are, then we
would realise that the only thing between us is our different names and
surnames.
This oneness
is emphasised in a special way in our Gospel passage when the master ordered
the servants to go to the highways and byways and bring in as many people as
they can find to the banquet. It is an error in thinking to assume that heaven
is meant for a selected few or that any particular race or tribe is superior to
another. In the end, everybody regardless of language, culture or ethnicity
would be invited to the banquet and those who felt they were superior, different
or classy would find themselves thrown out by their very excuses.
Do you
know that you are not better than that poor beggar in the street? How? The word
“better” doesn’t qualify in describing people because we are one. Can you be
better than yourself? Impossible. So if you and the beggar are one, then why
see yourself as so important, why allow your feeling of superiority become the
excuse that would prevent you from attending that great banquet in heaven????
Let us
Pray:
Lord
Jesus, open my eyes that I may see that I am one with my fellow human being and
use me to bring about a civilization of love, peace and oneness in the world.
Amen.
Good morning.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you.
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