Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Habakkuk 1:2-3.2:22-4; II Timothy 1:6-8.13-14; Luke
17:5-10)
Most all of us at one time or another have complained, “Why
me, Lord?” If a loved ones dies unexpectedly,
we might cry, “Why does this happen to me, Lord?” If nature unleashes its destructive force on
us, we lament, “Why me, Lord?” If we
lost our job or were betrayed by a friend, we cry, “Why me, Lord?” In today’s first reading the prophet Habakkuk
cries to the Lord for having permitted Israel to fall into peril. Many people of Judah have taken to idolatry
and the government is into disastrous intrigues. In such situations one is taken to wonder if
God is in control of things.
The problem, however, is not with God but with the human
person. We are so concerned about our
own well-being that we forget our purpose in life. It is something like the deterioration of
vision that almost all adults experience.
When they reach fifty years old, their vision so disintegrates that they
need glasses to see clearly things that are near. We have a similar spiritual misperception because
we do not correctly understand our relationship with God. We like to think of ourselves as God’s equals
with the right to accuse him of the hardships we experience. In today’s gospel Jesus points out our error.
With a frankness rarely seen in the gospels Jesus apprises
us of the hard truth. That is, we are
not owners of the Kingdom but its servants.
We are here to do what is good even when it costs us dearly. At the beginning of the war in Ukraine one
man arranged for the flight of his family from harm’s way. He said that he wanted to accompany them but
had to defend his country. This is how
we are in the struggle for the Kingdom of God.
We must continue struggle for God who created and saved us.
In today’s second reading Timothy is found in a situation
much like ours. Evidently he has had
difficulties administering the church in Ephesus. St. Paul advises him not to give up. Rather he has to revive the gifts that were
granted him at his ordination. That is,
he has to muster the power, love, and self-control to confront the challenges
of his office. For the most part these
are the same gifts that we receive in Confirmation. As parents of a family or supervisors
at work we count of the gifts of the Holy Spirit to fulfill our
responsibilities.
Today corporal punishment is frowned upon. Certainly, it is prohibited in schools. Although everyone must admit that such
punishment was abused in the past, a slap in the face can at times prove useful. It can call a youngster’s attention to a serious
fault as it reduces the adolescent’s pride.
It is like the correction that Jesus makes in the gospel. He calls us “unprofitable servants” to call
our attention to the demanding task of establishing the Kingdom of God. In other parts of the Gospel he refers to his
disciples as “friends” and even his “brothers.”
So let’s not worry about this correction. Jesus does not think little of us. If he did, he would not have died for our
salvation. He loves us and helps us. Let’s show our love for him by doing his will.
