Bible
Study: Genesis 18, 1 to 10. Colossians 1, 24 to 28 and Luke 10, 38 to 42.
Somehow our readings today are
connected with those of last Sunday. The Good Samaritan saw a man left half
dead on the road. Unlike the Priest and the Levite who prioritized their own
self-interest over that of the man, the Good Samaritan actually stopped, forgot
about himself, put on hold his own need to arrive on time at his destination
and decided to minister to the man.
Today, we see Abraham playing the
role of the Good Samaritan. He was seating in front of his tent trying to catch
some cool breeze given the heat at that time of the day. He must have probably
had his mind full of his personal worries, the top of which must have been the
fact that God was yet to fulfil his promise of a child by Sarah his wife. But
upon sighting the men, Abraham forgot about himself, he forget his own worries
and ministered to their needs.
Even without the men asking for
anything, Abraham went out of his way to provide for them. In the same way, the
man who was beaten by robbers and left half dead did not say anything to the
passers-by. He didn’t have the strength to call for help. Abraham was the one
who ran up to the men and said: “My lord, if I find favour with you, do not
pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and
rest yourselves under the tree. Let me bring a little bread; that you may
refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on…”
Honestly, I realise I am only kind
when people ask for help. Even when I see somebody in need, I tend to wait for
the person to ask first. I assume the person may not want my help. Sometimes, I
fear that the person may even misinterpret my help or begin to read meanings to
my sincere attempt to practice my Christian faith. Today, God is calling me to
go beyond my everyday charity and extend my help also to those who do not even
ask for it. God wants me to realize that there are times, the persons in need
may not have the courage to come to me or ask for my help. Going further, there
are moments God sends such persons my way as a test. I don’t think Abraham knew
it was a test, yet by doing what he did, he won God’s favour.
The book of Hebrews says it all in
Chapter 13, verse 2: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by
doing some have entertained angels without knowing it.” It is not easy to show
kindness to people I don’t even know, people from whom I do not expect anything
in return but that is part of the cross Jesus invites me to carry if I must
follow him. And the best way to do this is to learn how to forget my own worries.
Yes, I must stop assuming my challenges in life are greater than that of anyone
else. In fact, I must always see myself as an Angel sent into this world to
help make the lives of others better. I must always put myself in people’s
shoes, feel for them and feel with them then I can find ways of relieving their
pain and secure many more blessings for myself.
Showing kindness and hospitality to
others is important but what is more important is the ATTITUDE with which I do
it. I may welcome one thousand stranded persons to my home, empty my entire
bank account to provide food for them but so long as I am not doing it
joyfully, so long as I complain about it, my kindness fails to achieve its
purpose. God is not so pleased when I begin to grumble or compare myself with
others while doing charity to others. It is for this singular reason that Jesus
made this comment to Martha in our Gospel passage. “Martha, Martha, you are
worried and distracted by many things… Mary has chosen the better part.” Luke
10, 41 to 42.
It is good enough for me to be kind
like Abraham but it is a better thing for me not to complain about my kindness.
Or rather, it is a better thing not to begin to announce my kindness as a way
of painting someone else in a bad light. The reason why Jesus said Mary has
chosen the better part is not because Mary was sitting down at his feet but because
unlike Martha, Mary did not come complaining or comparing herself to someone
else. When we look at Martha’s complaint, we realize it was intended to put
Mary in a bad light; paint her as a lazy person. “Lord, do you not care that my
sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” Luke
10, 40.
Why is it that the moment I feel I am
good, I start looking down on others? Why do I always assume that people are
not good enough or that people are not as hardworking as myself? Just because I
am busy going up and down, moving from house to house does not make me a better
preacher than my fellow pastor who sleeps all day in his room. The idea is to
avoid having to compare myself with anyone at all. I am not God and I do not
know all there is to know so I cannot assume that I am holier or better than
anyone else.
I may be kind, I may be a Good
Samaritan, I may be the highest donor in church, I may carry the cross for
Jesus, I may even chose to suffer persecution but the moment I begin to feel
bitter towards others, the moment I begin to ask why my fellow Christians are
not doing as much as I think I am doing, it is like I am spoiling my good
works. It is like winning a gold trophy only to start covering it again with
bronze. It is like wearing a white garment only to start walking in the mud. Bitterness
towards others spoils my goodness.
Note that Jesus does not condemn
Martha, he only makes her understand that by complaining; she is no longer at
the top. The better part is the part where I work for God and be at his
presence without ever putting my eye on others. The better part is that I find
joy in what I do as a Christian, as a priest, as a married man or whatever my
state in life may be. I may be a contemplative, I may be a secular person, I may
be a religious, I may be whatever, but what makes my part better is that I am
happy and content and I am not looking out for whether or not someone else is
better or worse than myself.
Consider what St. Paul says in the
second reading today, “Now, I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my
flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of
his body, that is, the church.” Colossians 1, 24. It is one thing to suffer for
the sake of Christ, it is a completely different thing to rejoice in my
suffering. If I cannot find inner joy in offering myself as a sacrifice by
helping others, then what is the point? Imagine that after Abraham received the
men and while they were eating and drinking, he went inside and starting
reigning insults on them, calling them gluttons and opportunists who came from
nowhere to take his food away. Just imagine that. Imagine that as they were eating,
he came and complained about Lot his neighbour who might have probably seen
them but refused to welcome them as he did. Do you think the men would have
been happy with Abraham?
It is not enough that I suffer for
Christ’s sake, I must find a way to rejoice in my suffering. I must look beyond
what people do to me and see heaven waiting for me. I must find a way to
forgive people rather than carry an everlasting pain in my heart. When I pray, I
must find a way to avoid having to report other people like Martha did. I must
avoid having to paint others in a bad light like the Pharisee who went to the temple
to pray: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues,
adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a
tenth of all my income.” Luke 18, 11 to 12. Each time I do that, I am turning
my golden trophy into bronze.
Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, teach me how to
find joy in whatever good I do so that it may actually count on my behalf. Free
me from all bitterness and comparison with others. Amen
Good
morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. Happy Sunday.
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