The Eucharistic Sacrament Draws Our Attention To The Needy

25-09-2016 TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR (C).

SCRIPTURAL READING:

Amos 6:1a.4-7
Ps 146:6c-7.8-9a.9bc-10 (R. 1b)
1 Tim. 6:11-16; Accl. 2 Cor. 8:9
Gospel Lk 16:19-31.

Preamble:

Dear friends please repeat these words after me;
Thank you Jesus for your word today, Stay with me Lord Jesus as I give you my mind; help me understand your word.
Stay with me Lord Jesus as I give you my ears; help me hear your voice.
Stay with me Lord Jesus as I give you my heart; help me welcome you.
Holy Spirit, rekindle in me the fire of your love. Amen.

THEME: THE EUCHARIST: OUR SOURCE AND SUMMIT
TOPIC: THE EUCHARISTIC SACRAMENT DRAWS OUR ATTENTION TO THE NEEDY

Whenever we reflect on the Incarnation, our minds should be moved and drawn to the simplicity and humility of God. The incarnation tells of a God who descended simply to identify and be in solidarity with us. He descended to enrich us, to heal us, to reconcile us with the father, he came from God to us to tell us about God and from us to the father to tell the father about us, he came precisely not to lord over us but to relate with us and deliver us from the power of evil and set us free from every bondage.

In one of his Christmas sermons, St. Augustine tells us more about this; “…for you, I say, was God made man. Eternal death would have waited you had he not been born in time. Never would you be freed from your sinful flesh, had he not taken to himself the likeness of sinful flesh. Everlasting would be your misery, had he not performed this act of mercy. You would not have come to life again, had he not come to die your death. You would have broken down, had he not come to help you. You would have perished, had he not come.”

On the incarnation Pope St. Leo says: “Lowliness was taken up by majesty, weakness by strength, mortality by eternity. To pay off the debt of our state, invulnerable nature was united to a nature that could suffer; so that in a way that corresponded to the remedies we needed, one and the same mediator between God and humanity the man Christ Jesus, could both on the one hand die and on the other be incapable of death.”

Beloved in Christ, God in Christ Jesus has come to teach us how to please the father by setting before us the perfect example of love and sacrifice, that which lead him to the cross to give up his life for us. In John 13: 34 Jesus says, “and now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are my disciples.”

He said in another part-John 15:13; “no greater love has a man got than to lay down his life for his friends.” True Love leads to sincere sacrifice and true sacrifice flows from true love. Evil is overcome by intense love.

The new commandment is love-love of God is made visible in the love we have for our fellow men. Such love we discover in the holy Eucharist where God has giving us his all that we may feed on God. Feeding on God means becoming one with God, means God in us and us in him. He is in us to renew us, redirect us, counsel us and teach us as well as draw our minds constantly to the poor in our midst and that is the focus of the readings today.

The main point of the gospel passage today is that Life is not really always about us always, it’s all about the other person. God expects us to care for others and this we discover in the Eucharist. The Eucharist teaches us to share with others and we begin this by sharing together the one chalice and one bread, we kneel side by side with each other, stand next to each other, sit next to each other, walk next to each other before the lord even as we come to communion with the Lord.

This gesture alone should not estrange us both should lead us to identify with each other, recognise the pain of one another and lift a finger to actually heal and bandage the wound of each other. But what we see every now and then is that we are further divided and separated from each other because of our selfishness, greed, self-centeredness and desire to grab more and more.

The truth is that in the final analysis, it kills our humanity, delays our true joy and crumbles our utmost desire to be united with God. The first reading condemns those who do not think and care for the poor, the Gospel reading points our attention to the difference between the rich and the poor.

The difference is ever so important for our learning today. The rich man was nameless, Lazarus was names. It is the difference between being known and honoured by God and not being known or honoured by God. The rich man did not know God; therefore, he was unknown to God and God was not able to honor him. He was nameless to God. Lazarus knew God and was known by God. His very name, Lazarus means God is my Help or Helper. He trusted God to look after him, and his eyes were upon heaven and the blessings of heaven, not upon the earth.

Whereas the rich man trusted in his riches and was very insensitive, self-centred, and the lacked concern for the poor man Lazarus. The practical reward was that in the end, God honoured them both. He honoured Lazarus with the joys of a place in his presence, Abraham’s bossom and the rich man in eternal misery. His wealth could not buy him the joys of been in the presence of the Lord nor move God to help educate the mind of his other brothers rather it earned him pain and further misery.

We need to personally ask ourselves, what is the idol in my life that I think will make me not to give a helping hand to that brother or sister in need??? Note it is not until you go to a shrine before you become an idolater or commit idolatry or have an idol. Some of the idols in your life maybe your hair-the cost of making that hair could actually take care of three to four kids in the orphanage. The cost of your shoes, bags, perfumes can actually help train a child in the university and even feed a family for a week. What of when people come to your home, do you actually take care of those who visit you? How accommodating are you?

You see beloved in Christ, it’s not about coming to church and receiving Holy Communion, it’s about encountering the Lord in the brother and sister we come in contact with. An epitome of this perfect love and gesture of kindness towards others is Mother Theresa of Calcutta.

Beloved in Christ there are certain sacrifices that you need to do to liberate you spiritually and one of such comes from been very charitable and generous and kind to people you meet no matter who they are. The person you will be kind to must not be the closest or the person known to you but a total stranger and that gesture will transform your life for the better. Remember you never can tell when you will come in contact with the lord. The Lord is found in the poor and needy who live among us.

Prayer: may the Lord open our eyes to see the needy in our midst and give us the courage to give a helping hand to ease the sufferings of those we come in contact with. Amen.