Sunday Gospel Reflection: Motivations of Love

 

“When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:12–14

This Gospel passage goes to the heart of our motivations in life. Because of our fallen human nature, we can easily do what we do for selfish reasons. We want payment for our labors and acknowledgement for our acts of kindness. We want to get ahead in life and try to elevate ourselves over others. But Jesus makes it clear that our motivation for everything we do must only be the glory of God and the love of others.

The poor, crippled, lame and blind in this passage refer to those who are in need of our love. This certainly will include friends and family. When we encounter those in need, we must offer our love, not because we get something out of it, but because it is the right thing to do. The payment we receive in this case comes directly and exclusively from God. It’s not a payment of societal recognition or praise. It’s not a payment of material things. It’s not a payment that helps us get ahead in life. It’s a payment of grace that makes us holy. This is the only motivation we should have in life—a motivation for holiness by glorifying God through our love of Him and others.

Think about your motivations in life. Why do you do what you do every day? Clearly we all have certain responsibilities that must be met, such as earning a living, caring for the home and family, strengthening our relationships, etc. But why do you do these things? What is the source of your motivation? Is your motivation based on pure love?

When our love is pure, we are motivated to act in one way or another because we see that it is our holy duty toward God or an act that will benefit another. For example, a loving and holy parent will work hard to earn a living not because they want to get rich so as to indulge in the things of this world, but because they love and care for their family and want to provide for their material needs. Or a friend will seek to be there and listen to another friend not because it is advantageous for them, but because they love their friend and want to provide a listening ear when they need it. True love always looks at the good of the other, looking for the ways they are spiritually poor, crippled, lame and blind so that they can help them in accord with God’s will. True love always seeks to fill a void with what is needed at that moment.

The good news for us is that when our motivations are pure and selfless, looking only to glorify God and care for others, God will lavish upon us eternal rewards that begin now. We will grow rich in virtue and rich in the fruits of the Holy Spirit. We will obtain joy, peace, strength, courage, love, goodness and so much more. These good things are the true riches in life and can only be bestowed by God upon a soul whose motivations in life are pure, selfless, sacrificial and merciful.

Reflect, today, upon what motivates you each and every day. Do you think more about yourself when acting or more about God and others? Hopefully you will discover within your motivation a burning desire to serve others and glorify God in everything you do. But where you do see selfishness, know that this motivation can never fulfill you. Humble yourself by turning your attention to the love of God and the needs of others, and make serving them your exclusive mission. Doing so will result in God lavishing upon you more than you could ever imagine.

My merciful Lord, You came to earth to serve, not to be served, and to give Your life to others in an act of the most pure and holy love. I open myself to that gift of Your divine love and pray that, as I receive Your love, I may love You and others in the same selfless way. Jesus, I trust in You.

Sunday Gospel Reflection: Perceiving the Dignity of Others

 

Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.” Luke 13:22–24

The context of this passage provides insight into Jesus’ mission and His concern for each and every person. Note that Jesus was traveling toward the large and populous city of Jerusalem. But as He traveled, He passed through “towns and villages” and taught the people as He went. This might seem like a small detail, but it is also a significant one.

A city like Jerusalem was large and often had wealthy, influential, and “important” people. The less-populated towns  had borders and often some form of local government. Villages were much smaller rural areas, often made up of poorer, less educated, less influential, and simpler people. One historian, Josephus, wrote that there were about 240 villages throughout Galilee at the time Jesus lived. It’s interesting to note that Jesus wanted to teach everyone. He didn’t care if they were wealthy and powerful people in the large city or peasant farmers and shepherds from the countryside. His mission was to all.

One thing this teaches us is that we, also, must have love and concern for everyone, regardless of their social status. Each and every person is equal in dignity. From the president of a large country, to the beggar in an alleyway, everyone deserves our respect and attention in an equal way.

Our fallen human nature experiences various forms of temptation. Among them are temptations for riches, power and prestige. For that reason, we tend to admire those who have obtained worldly success because we want it for ourselves. As a result, we tend to show greater respect for those who have achieved what we covet and give less attention to those who do not have that success. This, of course, goes to the heart of the problem.

When you think about the people whom you have encountered recently, what comes to mind? Perhaps your “encounter” was to read about someone’s great success in the financial world. Or perhaps it was to read about someone’s demise in another way. Perhaps a neighbor has done well and purchased a new car, or a friend got fired from a job. Whatever the case may be, it is important to consider the level of personal respect and love you show for each person. It must be equal. Worldly status cannot determine how we treat others. This is hard to avoid.

The teaching that Jesus gave to those in the towns and villages was an exhortation to holiness. “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.” And at the end of today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” The latter statement must have especially resonated with those who felt somewhat insignificant and unimportant in life. Those who felt like they were “last” would have received a certain hope. This tells us that God never measures us by our successes from a worldly standpoint. He measures us only on the level of our fidelity to His holy will.

Reflect, today, upon how you look at all people. Do you see every person in the way that God sees them? Do you see everyone with equal dignity and worth? Or do you elevate those whom you envy and whose success you covet? Seek to eliminate all worldly ways of looking at others so that you will only look at others through the lens of their dignity and fidelity to the will of God.

Lord, as You journeyed through life, You looked only at the hearts of those You encountered. You treated each person with dignity and love. Please help me to shed all temptations to see others through the eyes of the world and to show full respect to all of Your sons and daughters. Jesus, I trust in You.

Sunday Gospel Reflections: Spiritual Unity

“Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” Luke 12:51–53

Jesus introduces this passage by saying, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” The “fire” of which He speaks is His purifying fire of mercy that He poured forth from the Cross as He offered His life for the salvation of the world. His mercy is given to free us from our sins and to cleanse our souls so that God Himself can come to dwell within us. This is why we exist. God wants to dwell within us, and He wants us to be in perfect union with Him.

One of the glorious effects of uniting yourself to God is that this union also brings about a spiritual bond with others who are united to God. We are made for communion with God, but also for communion with each other. God especially invites family members to share in this unity. Though there are many levels of friendship and unity we can have with each other, the deepest bonds come from two souls each being united to God. For example, two people may both like the same sports team or have the same interests, resulting in a bond or form of friendship. This is good. But when each of those friends also is deeply united to God, the unity comes from God and not from something more superficial.

The challenging Gospel passage above reveals to us what happens when one or more members of a household fail to open themselves to the cleansing fire of God’s love and, therefore, fail to live in union with God. The result is disunity, at least on the deepest and truest level. God is not the cause of disunity; sin is. When one person is united to God and another is immersed in a life of sin, true spiritual unity is not possible. Of course the two might still share some common interests and might even superficially get along each day, but there will never be an experience of authentic spiritual friendship and communion if God is absent from one or both hearts.

When Jesus says that He has come to establish division within a household, He is simply pointing out that there will indeed be a division within a household when all are not united to God. Additionally, Jesus is warning us that if someone within our household tries to draw us into a life of sin with them, that person’s invitation must be rejected. And when that happens, that rejection is often experienced as a rejection of the person and results in even greater disunity. The bottom line is that it is not possible to be authentically united in sin or any form of lie.

Reflect, today, upon the deepest spiritual desire you have. If you are honest with yourself, you will discover that this deepest desire in your heart is the desire for love. We are made to give and receive love. First, this desire is fulfilled by opening ourselves to the love of God. When that happens, we will be able to share God’s love with others and receive God’s love from them. Nothing in life could be more fulfilling than this.

Most merciful Lord, You came to unite all people in Your love, but when Your love is rejected we live in disunity. Please come to me and dwell more fully within me so that Your presence in my life will not only bring about a spiritual communion with You, but also with those who share this same love. Jesus, I trust in You.

Sunday Gospel Reflections: Vigilance, Attentiveness, Action

 
Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have the servants recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.” Luke 12:35–37

Vigilance, hard work, determination, attentiveness, fidelity—these are some of the qualities that Jesus is speaking about. To “gird your loins” means that you are immediately prepared for some challenging task. You are ready for the hard work ahead and are committed to it. To “light your lamps” implies that you are not in the dark but that your mind is enlightened in such a way that you are able to see that which is the will of God.

As we go through life, it is easy to become complacent in the things of faith. It is easy to become lazy, disinterested, distracted, and unfocused. This parable goes on to speak of a thief who tries to break into a house in the middle of the night. This is Jesus’ way of saying that the evil one, with his lies and attacks, is constant, vicious, forceful, and unpredictable. For that reason, we must never grow tired of being vigilant in the spiritual life and must always be attentive to the light of God’s voice.

How attentive are you to the mission of Christ on a daily basis? This is an essential question to answer honestly. Most people will find that they become distracted from the mission God has given to them. We experience countless things every day that compete for our attention. Many of those competing voices might not appear to be sinful. For example, perhaps a certain hobby has become the dominant focus of your free time. Or perhaps responsibilities at work have spilled over into your family time. Or perhaps some painful or even enjoyable experience has had your full attention for some time. Though it is obvious that sinful distractions in life are evil, it might not always be as obvious that there are many other neutral distractions that are a real problem. The problems they can produce are a lack of attentiveness to the will of God and a lack of readiness to engage the will of God the moment He calls.

Imagine, for example, that a very important person calls you to ask for a favor. Most likely you would drop all you were doing and respond immediately. But, sadly, when the King of the Universe attempts to speak to us and inspire us to some mission, we can be too distracted to even listen, let alone respond with immediacy and zeal. This is a problem. If, however, a person is continually attentive to the voice of God and responds to His interior promptings as soon as they are received, then Jesus says that this person is truly blessed and that He will “have the servants recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.” In other words, the result of being vigilant in our attentiveness to the inspirations of God is that God Himself will reward us with His service. He will invite us to the table of spiritual rest, peace, joy, and fulfillment. He will serve us His mercy, which will be more than we could ever imagine.

Reflect, today, upon the call from God to always be attentive to His voice the instant He speaks. Reflect upon how aware you are of His constant presence in your life and His ongoing communication. Know that if you can form a habit of always listening, then you will never miss out on the grace-filled mission given to you by our Lord. Always listen to Him, seek out His still and gentle voice, and be ready to respond to Him every time He calls.

My ever-speaking Lord, You have so much to say and so much to reveal. Please enlighten my mind and strengthen my resolve to always listen to you and respond with all my heart. Your will is perfect and will lead me to a life of the deepest joy and fulfillment. May I believe this with all my heart and act accordingly. Jesus, I trust in You.

Pope Leo Sends Condolences To Ghana Mourning Victims of Helicopter Crash

Pope Leo has expressed his sorrow over the deaths of ministers, government officials and the crew who perished in a military helicopter crash on Wednesday, 6 August, in the West African nation of Ghana. The condolences came in a telegram signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, addressed to Bishop Matthew K. Gyamfi of Suyani Diocese, also President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

The Holy See Press Office published the telegram on Thursday evening, 7 August, that reads, “His Holiness Pope Leo XIV sends his condolences upon the deaths of the ministers, government officials and all who perished in the military helicopter crash. Entrusting the souls of the deceased to the mercy of Almighty God, and with prayers for those who mourn their loss, especially their families, the Holy Father assures the nation of his spiritual closeness at this difficult time.”

The helicopter, carrying three crew and five passengers, crashed in a heavily forested area of the central Ashanti region. It was carrying Ghana’s Minister of Defence, Edward Omane Boamah, the Minister of Environment, Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, six crew and other passengers accompanying them. They were traveling to the town of Obuasi for an event related to stopping illegal mining. There were no survivors.
The missionary news service, Agenzia Fides, reported Bishop Gyamfi’s reaction to the tragedy, saying the news came as a great shock to all.

The Ghana Bishops’ Conference issued a statement expressing its condolences to the President, the families of the victims, Parliament, and the nation, saying “we ask all Ghanaians to pray for them,” while they also noted their “shock to lose such brilliant minds all at once.”

The Bishops emphasised that the victims “were men of proven commitment, servants of the state, politicians, technocrats, and gallant officers of the Ghana Armed Forces, who gave their lives in the service of the Republic, the institutions, and the people of this country. Their sudden and untimely passing is not only a blow to their families and friends, but also a great loss for the nation.”

Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama, has declared three days of national mourning.

Source: Catholic-Trends

SUNDAY GOSPEL REFLECTIONS: BEING CHEATED

 

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Luke 12:13–14

Many things in life are not fair. Children are keenly aware of this any time they sense they have been cheated by a sibling. They complain to their parents, just as the person in the crowd quoted above complained to Jesus about his brother. We want justice and can become quite upset when we feel that we have been dealt an injustice.

The passage above is interesting because Jesus gently but clearly refuses to be the arbiter of justice for this man. It may indeed be the case that he was cheated out of his inheritance by his brother. But it’s interesting that Jesus not only refuses to resolve the dispute, He then goes on to teach about greed, suggesting that the cheated man was acting out of greed.

If you were cheated out of your inheritance by a sibling, how would you react? If a sibling were to do this, it would clearly be a sin and an injustice. But the question at hand is your reaction to being cheated. Being cheated by another might result in one of two responses. The most common response is to immediately seek justice, to fight back. But this is not always what God will inspire us to do. Instead, when we experience injustice, we are given an opportunity to love on a very deep level. And this must be our response. This is why Jesus said we must love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. In the big picture of eternity, earthly injustices are always an opportunity for grace. This is evident by simply looking at the gravest injustice of the suffering and death of the Son of God. Jesus did not complain about being so cruelly treated. He did not call on the angels of Heaven to destroy the Pharisees and Romans who attacked Him. Instead, Jesus used the injustice inflicted upon Him as a foundation for His gift of salvation.

As we journey through this life, we need to decide whether we are going to live for this life or for eternity. We cannot have both. However, by choosing to live for eternity, we also enhance our lives here on earth in ways that nothing in this world can match. For example, say you experienced the unfortunate situation of extreme poverty. Say you were cheated out of your home and possessions and were left with nothing. Would this make you miserable? It might, but it doesn’t have to. Instead, such an unfortunate circumstance has the potential for you to live day-by-day, trusting in God’s providential care and to offer mercy in the face of injustice. And that is good. It is good for your eternal soul. It is good because it will motivate you to trust God on a very deep level and to become a beacon of God’s mercy. By contrast, if you had everything you could ever want in this world, it would be seriously tempting to rely less upon God and more upon the things you possess in this world. But the things of this world cannot save your eternal soul. In fact, they are a serious hindrance to your ability to trust in God alone. So, truth be told, poverty and injustice actually open the door to an opportunity for much more grace in our lives than material wealth does. But so often we still long to have more and more of the things of this world.

Reflect, today, upon the spiritual and eternal blessings that come from relying solely upon God and not upon material wealth. This is a hard lesson for most people to learn. If this is your struggle, then try to take on the eternal perspective. Try to look beyond the temporary stability and pleasures that come from accumulating earthly wealth, so that you will see the eternal riches that come from seeking God alone. Everything in this world will one day pass away. In the light of that fact, recommit yourself to the embrace of God’s riches by loving others through every injustice you encounter in life.

Most merciful Lord, You endured the greatest injustice ever known. But in the face of that injustice, You offered mercy and the gift of salvation, transforming that injustice into the greatest act of love ever offered. Help me to imitate Your merciful heart and to see injustice, poverty, and every difficulty I encounter as an opportunity to turn more fully to You. Jesus, I trust in You.

Appreciation Message

 

With a heart full of gratitude, I thank God for the gift of priestly ordination. I am deeply grateful to all of you: my family, friends, confers and benefactors for your prayers and support throughout this journey.

Your presence, both spiritual and physical, has been a source of strength and joy.  I carry each of you in my heart as a I begin this sacred mission of service to God and His people.

May the Lord who has begun this work in me bring it to completion.

Please continue to pray for me.

God Bless You All.

Rev. Fr. Samuel Perry Abotsi CSsR