Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
(Ephesians 4:1-6; Luke 12:54-59)
Any number of proverbs tell us that the time to act is
now. “A stitch in time, saves nine.” “Now is the beginning of the rest of your
life.” “The longest journey begins with
a single step.” Jesus gives us a similar
message in today’s gospel parable.
It is a parable because Jesus is comparing the people to hypocrites
who say one thing and do something contrary.
He tells the people that the time is here for them to stop deceiving
themselves. They must decide now how
they are going to live their lives. The
time is ripe because Jesus has come from God with the offer of salvation. If they turn from sinful ways, they will be
saved because his sacrifice on the cross will win the forgiveness of their sins. The reading from Ephesians today carries a
similar message. The Pauline
disciple-writer urges the people to live not in competition but in solidarity as
God’s daughters and sons.
We should not live for ourselves but for the Lord. This means turning away from the perennial
concern of doing what gives us the greatest comfort. We are to ask first what God would have us do
and then do it. In this way we will know
eternal life.
