Monday, September 24, 2012

Monday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

(Proverbs 3:27-34; Luke 8:16-18)

The sign near the prison chapel reads, “Prayer is talking to God; meditation is listening to him.” But prisoners are not the only ones to be reminded that communication with God is a two-way street. Many think of God only when in need of assistance. They forget that God has expectations of them. In today’s gospel Jesus makes this point.

When Jesus says that no one lights a lamp to place it under a bed, he means that he does not enlighten his hearers just for their own sake. Rather, he intends that his hearers put his message into practice. They are to love God and neighbor by forgiving wrongs and helping the poor.

Our lives are often so busy that we postpone indefinitely assisting the needy. Also, we may become so hardened by the cultural ideal of being recognized that we forget Jesus’ call to reconciliation. Certainly the road to eternal life leads through these virtues of compassion and forgiveness.