Wis 18:6-9; Heb 11:1-2, 8-19; Lk 12:35-40
The priest said to the congregation: “Those who would like to go to heaven please raise your hands.” In a moment all hands inside the Church were up in the air.
Then the priest said: “Those who would like to go to heaven TODAY please rise.” There were some murmurs, but nobody had the courage to stand up.
The priest learned that while everybody likes to go to heaven, nobody wants to die.
Why are people afraid to die? There may be a lot of reasons. Some would find this world too good to be abandoned – they have a beautiful family, booming business, lot of properties and good standing in the community. Others might find the possibility of extinction too fearful. What if there is no life after death? What if I will be gone forever? Still, many others would feel unprepared for the moment of encounter with God. How am I going to face God whom I am constantly offending by my wrongdoings?
We believe in life after death because the Lord himself says there is so. “I am the resurrection and the life,” he says. “He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (Jn 11:25-26). In today’s gospel, Jesus speaks about heaven or his Father’s kingdom which is the real treasure of disciples. The treasures of this world – money, jewels, nature, education, jobs, etc. – are all exhaustible. But the kingdom of God offered by Jesus is an infinite treasure, wherein believers can enjoy fullness of life with God. The Lord knows how insecure we are to leave this world, and so, he gives the assuring words: “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom” (Lk 12:32).
Today’s parables are aimed to keep us ready for our ultimate encounter with the Creator. First of all, the Lord inspires us to “be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks”. Every now and then, God comes and touches us through events and people we meet. But the final and decisive coming of the Master in our lives will happen during the moment of our death. We do not know when death will come to us, but there is nothing we can do to stop it. With death’s inevitability, the most prudent advice is for us not to deny it but to be ready for it.
Moreover, Jesus motivates us to be like faithful and prudent stewards of the Master’s properties. God has entrusted to us many things – our life, family, friends, neighbors, wealth, talents, time, etc. Blessed are we if the Master comes and finds us taking care of his properties and using them responsibly. But woe to us if during the Master’s return he finds us complacent and taking everything into our own hands to satisfy our selfish desires.
The grim reminder of death leads some people to hedonism. They would say, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die!” Others would busy themselves with so many non-essential things in this world, somehow revealing a subconscious denial of the reality of death. They are what Jesus refers as “bad and foolish servants” of the house' Owner.
Another subconscious attempt to deny death is people’s unhealthy fear of losing one’s beauty and vitality. Just imagine how many of us are willing to spend much time, effort and money to keep our physical attractiveness. Are we willing to give the same amount of effort and time to improve our spiritual life? A spiritual writer said that when we focus too much on our appearance, we tend to forget our coming “disappearance."
A good servant of the Master would accept the reality of death and find life meaningful. What Peter Beisheim says is true:
Accepting the fact that I am going to die can liberate me in such a way that I can really be free to live, to enjoy each moment, to see each moment as a possibility for concern, care and love. The imperative of the message is the Now. I love my brother and my sister now—not later, for there may not be later.
Elizabeth Kübler-Ross explains partly the reason why many people today find life empty and meaningless:
When you live as if you’ll live forever, it becomes too easy to postpone the things you know that you must do. You live your life in preparation for tomorrow or in remembrance of yesterday, and meanwhile, each today is lost. In contrast, when you fully understand that each day you awaken could be the last you have, you take the time that day to grow, to become more of who you really are, to reach out to other human beings.
The priest said to the congregation: “Those who would like to go to heaven please raise your hands.” In a moment all hands inside the Church were up in the air.
Then the priest said: “Those who would like to go to heaven TODAY please rise.” There were some murmurs, but nobody had the courage to stand up.
The priest learned that while everybody likes to go to heaven, nobody wants to die.
Why are people afraid to die? There may be a lot of reasons. Some would find this world too good to be abandoned – they have a beautiful family, booming business, lot of properties and good standing in the community. Others might find the possibility of extinction too fearful. What if there is no life after death? What if I will be gone forever? Still, many others would feel unprepared for the moment of encounter with God. How am I going to face God whom I am constantly offending by my wrongdoings?
We believe in life after death because the Lord himself says there is so. “I am the resurrection and the life,” he says. “He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (Jn 11:25-26). In today’s gospel, Jesus speaks about heaven or his Father’s kingdom which is the real treasure of disciples. The treasures of this world – money, jewels, nature, education, jobs, etc. – are all exhaustible. But the kingdom of God offered by Jesus is an infinite treasure, wherein believers can enjoy fullness of life with God. The Lord knows how insecure we are to leave this world, and so, he gives the assuring words: “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom” (Lk 12:32).
Today’s parables are aimed to keep us ready for our ultimate encounter with the Creator. First of all, the Lord inspires us to “be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks”. Every now and then, God comes and touches us through events and people we meet. But the final and decisive coming of the Master in our lives will happen during the moment of our death. We do not know when death will come to us, but there is nothing we can do to stop it. With death’s inevitability, the most prudent advice is for us not to deny it but to be ready for it.
Moreover, Jesus motivates us to be like faithful and prudent stewards of the Master’s properties. God has entrusted to us many things – our life, family, friends, neighbors, wealth, talents, time, etc. Blessed are we if the Master comes and finds us taking care of his properties and using them responsibly. But woe to us if during the Master’s return he finds us complacent and taking everything into our own hands to satisfy our selfish desires.
The grim reminder of death leads some people to hedonism. They would say, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die!” Others would busy themselves with so many non-essential things in this world, somehow revealing a subconscious denial of the reality of death. They are what Jesus refers as “bad and foolish servants” of the house' Owner.
Another subconscious attempt to deny death is people’s unhealthy fear of losing one’s beauty and vitality. Just imagine how many of us are willing to spend much time, effort and money to keep our physical attractiveness. Are we willing to give the same amount of effort and time to improve our spiritual life? A spiritual writer said that when we focus too much on our appearance, we tend to forget our coming “disappearance."
A good servant of the Master would accept the reality of death and find life meaningful. What Peter Beisheim says is true:
Accepting the fact that I am going to die can liberate me in such a way that I can really be free to live, to enjoy each moment, to see each moment as a possibility for concern, care and love. The imperative of the message is the Now. I love my brother and my sister now—not later, for there may not be later.
Elizabeth Kübler-Ross explains partly the reason why many people today find life empty and meaningless:
When you live as if you’ll live forever, it becomes too easy to postpone the things you know that you must do. You live your life in preparation for tomorrow or in remembrance of yesterday, and meanwhile, each today is lost. In contrast, when you fully understand that each day you awaken could be the last you have, you take the time that day to grow, to become more of who you really are, to reach out to other human beings.
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