Bible
Study: Hebrews 9, 2 to 14 and Mark 3, 20 to 21.
Can we
place a limit on what we offer to God? Is there any point at which our giving
to God become madness? The case of Jesus and his disciples in our Gospel
passage today gives us some cause for concern. Mark reports that they were so
busy attending to the people that even when Jesus went home, the crowd will not
let him have some space for himself; not even to eat. Indeed, his relations
heard about it and they concluded that “this was too much.” They feared that
Jesus had gone out of his mind, so they came to rescue him from the crowd.
This
incidence is a great lesson for any priest as well as the minister of the
Gospel. If Jesus our master would dare not send away the crowd even when he had
not eaten, why do we often send people away in the name of “don’t you know I have
to rest?” Why do we shout harshly at our visitors when they happen to come when
we are about to eat? Why do we hiss and complain so much when we happen to receive
sick calls at night? Have we forgotten we were not ordained for ourselves but
for the people?
Sometimes we
go as far as instructing our security men to tell lies on our behalf simply because
we don’t want to see certain persons. Picture this scenario, an old woman
passed the age of 80 comes to the Parish house to see Father. All she wants is
for Father to pray for her and for her children because she intends to travel the
following morning. Gateman says to her: “Sorry, you cannot see Father, he is
not around.” So she decides to wait. She sits on the floor beside the gate
under the hot sun for hours hoping Father will soon come. Then all of a sudden,
a big man shows up with the latest version of the Mercedes Benz, gateman does
not even interrogate, he jumps at once to open the gate. Then Father comes
downstairs to usher the big man from his car laughing and cracking jokes while
the old woman still sitting on the floor watches him and the gateman in tears.
Jesus did
not consider any sacrifice too much to offer. He generously gave his time and
as he often said: He came “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life
a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28. The book of Hebrews tells us how Jesus
entered the sanctuary not made with human hands to offer the perfect sacrifice
of his very blood and flesh. The priest is called to replicate this sacrifice
of Jesus at mass every day. He also has to be willing to sacrifice for the sake
of the people, even if that sacrifice is making himself available for the people
without any form of discrimination.
Today we
remember St. Agnes. She was a Roman girl who was only thirteen years old when
she suffered martyrdom for the Faith. Despite her age, Agnes already knew what
it meant to offer her body as a sacrifice to God. She made a promise to God
never to stain her purity. Her love for the Lord was very great and she hated
sin even more than death! Since she was very beautiful. Many young men wished
to marry Agnes, but she would always say, “Jesus Christ is my only Spouse.”
Procop,
the Governor's son, became very angry when she refused him. He had tried to win
her for his wife with rich gifts and promises, but the beautiful young girl
kept saying, “I am already promised to the Lord of the Universe. He is more
splendid than the sun and the stars, and He has said He will never leave me!”
In great anger, Procop condemned her to death. Even the pagans cried to see
such a young and beautiful girl going to death. Yet, Agnes was as happy as a
bride on her wedding day. She did not pay attention to those who begged her to
save herself. “I would offend my Spouse,” she said, “if I were to try to please
you. He chose me first and He shall have me!” Then she prayed and bowed her
head for the death-stroke of the sword.
At times,
giving to God seems like madness. It felt like madness for Jesus to be
attending to the people when he had not eaten. It surely feels like madness for
a priest to forget himself and his personal interests for the sake of the
people. Surely, it would be pure madness for a girl to refuse marriage to the Governor’s
son and prefer to die instead of gladly entering a life of unquantifiable
riches and earthly glory. But let us not forget that what seems like madness to
us men is wisdom in the sight of God. As Paul would say in 1st Corinthians
1:23-25 “We proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and
foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God's foolishness is wiser
than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.”
Finally, we
must bear in mind that money is not the only thing we can give to God. Indeed,
when it comes to giving to God, there are so many things far better than money.
For instance, sincerity, purity of heart, commitment to our vows, good example
and so on. The way we worship money in the church today, one is almost tempted
to wonder if it is not only those who have money that will go to heaven. Some churches
are even taking advantage of the theology of giving to the extent they ask the
people to sow their entire salaries, even their cars as if such hefty donations
can ‘provoke’ God. When did God become a banker? When did he start collecting
money or cars in other to give back with interest? Let’s be wise!
Let us
Pray: Lord Jesus, I give my lifetime to you. Make me your instrument, your
apostle and a light to the world. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you.
Fr. Abu.
No comments:
Post a Comment