REFLECTION FOR MONDAY 32ND WEEK (10/11/2014) TEXTS: TIT 1:1-9; LUKE 17:1-6 In condemning those who put obstacles in the way of faith, Jesus was referring to the religious leaders of His time because they refused to listen to Him, or to recognize Him as the Messiah. For such people, Jesus reserved the harshest words, saying, “It would be better for him to be thrown into the Sea with a millstone put round his neck than that he should lead astray a single one of these little ones.” Indeed, the warning of Jesus to His disciples is also for all of us when He said, “Watch yourselves!” We too might be the cause of obstacles to faith for many of our Catholics and those who are searching for Christ because of the lack of integrity in our lives. Consequently, we must take the exhortation of St Paul to Titus and the pastors seriously. Although not all the criteria mentioned are applicable to us, the point is that we must recognize our high calling to be the witnesses of Christ and our lives must be exemplary. What are some of these criteria? As Church leaders, lay or clerical, we must seek to be “a man of irreproachable character; he must not have been married more than once, never an arrogant or hot-tempered man, nor a heavy drinker or violent, nor out to make money; but a man who is hospitable and a friend of all that is good; sensible, moral, devout and self-controlled; and he must have a firm grasp of the unchanging message of the tradition, so that he can be counted on for both expounding the sound doctrine and refuting those who argue against it.” Besides these criteria, we must also include the psalmist words, that those who wish to climb the mountain of the Lord and stand in His holy place, must have hands that are sinless, a heart that is clean and who desires not what is vain. By living out our lives in holiness, we show forth that our faith in Christ has an effect in our lives. These criteria in themselves are not the cause of our efficacy, rather, they are manifestations of a living faith in Christ. This does not mean that we must be perfect as Christian leaders. We are all sinners. We are not yet canonized. We are on the way to sainthood. We recognize that we have our human frailties. What is necessary is the humility of leaders to ask for forgiveness when we have sinned against the Lord and His people. For those who have been hurt by Church leaders and ministry members, we are called to forgive. Yes, Jesus urges us to seek for forgiveness and impart forgiveness. He said, “If your brother does something wrong, reprove him and, if he is sorry, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times a day and seven times comes back to you and says, “I am sorry”, you must forgive him.’” Indeed, the Church is always compassionate with those who have failed in their responsibility and conduct. The Church never condemns anyone as incorrigible. So long as there is grace, there is hope for repentance. However, forgiveness is not the same as condoning the wrong doings or unbecoming behavior of the person. Forgiveness is given but it must also be received. The reception of forgiveness is manifested in the conversion of life, the readiness to submit in obedience to God’s laws and the Church. Faith in Christ’s forgiveness must be demonstrated in a good life and the willingness to change. Without any manifested conversion, it cannot be said that a person has received forgiveness. In such a situation, that person may not continue in the ministry, for he still lacks faith. To allow him to do so would cause further damage both to himself and to the people of God. Hence, we can understand why the disciples, after Jesus’ exhortation, immediately said, “Increase our faith!” Yes, we need to ask the Lord to give us confidence in His grace to change us and never to give up hope on our fellow brothers and sisters, just as He does not give up hope in us. May the presence of God go with you this Week!
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 05:14:49 +0000
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