Wisdom 18:
6–9; Hebrews 11: 1–2; 8–19; Luke 12: 32–48
22 May 2010,
The Air India Express took off from Dubai and headed towards Mangalore
(India), with 160 passengers and 6 crew members. The original reservation chart
had the names of 169 people. In that nine people cancelled the trip. One of the passengers had just returned
from India on 20th, but was called back by her ailing husband. So she boarded the next available flight. Out of 166, 158 died when the plane overshot the runway and crashed, while landing. 8 passengers survived the crash. Others were not so blessed. None of them knew that 21st night was their last night on the earth; and they would never see the sunrise again. They took the flight to their home town with great dreams and fantastic plans for the future.
There were
men who were returning after three or four years of hard toil in the
blazing deserts to join their dear ones. There were young men who boarded the
flight with dreams of their bride, the wedding celebrations and the joys
of building up a new family. All these dreams crashed along with the
plane.
Today’s
readings remind us too, to be ready to accept the call any day.
Both the readings from Wisdom and from Hebrews invite us this week to dwell
upon the theme of our need for a lively faith and hope in the things to come.
Wisdom presents an account of the tenth plague during the night of the
Passover, when the angel of death struck down the first born of the Egyptians
and spared the Israelites who had sprinkled the blood of the lamb on their door
posts. God was liberating them from slavery and they put their trust in the
power of their God to save them. Hebrews similarly presents the faith of
Abraham and Sarah as blessed by God because they "were searching for a
better and heavenly home."
The Gospel
completes this teaching in Jesus´ words to be ready at all times for the end,
and to live each day as if it were the last; to live each day before God and to
render fully to him what he expects from each one of us.
God has
revealed everything to us, but not the future. Alexander Pope described it
beautifully in his poem “Essay on Man”.
Heaven from all creatures hides the book of Fate,
All but the page prescribed, their present state:
From brutes what men, from men what spirits know:
Or who could suffer being here below?
The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to-day,
Had he thy reason, would he skip and play?
Pleased to the last, he crops the flowery food,
And licks the hand just raised to shed his blood.
Oh, blindness to the future! Kindly given,
That each may fill the circle, marked by Heaven:
All but the page prescribed, their present state:
From brutes what men, from men what spirits know:
Or who could suffer being here below?
The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to-day,
Had he thy reason, would he skip and play?
Pleased to the last, he crops the flowery food,
And licks the hand just raised to shed his blood.
Oh, blindness to the future! Kindly given,
That each may fill the circle, marked by Heaven:
Today’s
gospel speaks of every kind of activity in life, whether family or career.
We are called to do our assigned tasks as best as
we can.
Jesus
identifies four types of people: First, we have the servant who was
vigilant and ready. He was not worried about the outcome of his actions.
He was not troubled about the resentments of the past. He was not
taken up by the glories of the future. He just carried out his duties
entrusted to him. The master of the house would actually wait on these
servants, as if the servants had become the master of the house, which would be
unheard of in ancient times and almost unbelievable to Christ's audience.
Second,
there is the servant who seeks his own way. He thinks “My master is taking his
time.” He postpones his end. He thinks he has enough time at hand. Jesus
says, “His master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does
not know.” There are many among us who choose our own way. We postpone the
offer of pardon to our brothers. We postpone giving up certain evil habits, we
postpone the payment of the debt. But we do not realize that we may not get
another chance. We may be called at any time to settle our accounts.
Third, there
is the servant who knows God's law but does not make preparations or act in
accord with God's plan. These are the people who deliberately break the
commandments.
Finally,
there is the servant who was ignorant of God's law and acts in a way deserving
of a severe punishment shall be beaten only lightly.
The Gospel
ends with the admonition of Jesus: "from those to whom much has been
given, much will be expected." We must value the fact that the Lord has
given us much… he has died for us and given us new life in Christ, he has given
us all the grace we need through the sacraments and the Church to live a life
in accordance with our new dignity. He has blessed each one of us abundantly
with his grace and love. He will expect a return on all he has given us.
Satish