Rev. Justin Mpuruta
Dear brothers and sisters, Shalom! I am currently undergoing driver training. Our instructor always reminds us that we have three partner guides we must obey to save ourselves and others while driving a car. God is our first partner, the rules of the road with which we have to communicate, and our heart (emotional intelligence) to which we have to listen. It is with this perspective that I share with you my meditation on the readings for this sixth Sunday of liturgical year A.
God gave us freedom from the beginning says the wisdom in the first reading. Then, we accountable for our actions, for the way we guide our own lives and make choices. A lot of situations do affect us at times, but we always retain the capability of making the basic decisions. It is a reminder that you and me are at a crossroads: one way leads to life, the other to death. We must choose between the two. The way of life is shown by the commandments of God; the way of death is marked by vices, passions and corruption. If we embrace the commandments realistically, then we can be free. However, if in order to be free, a driver were to disregard the road signs, to curse everybody, he would end up in a waterway and probably commit suicide or homicide. What is our relationship with the commandments?
In the second reading, Paul reminds us that God had a great plan of love for mankind and had not revealed it to anybody. Paul refers to this project that was in the mind of God as the “wisdom of God”, a “mystery” hidden in God from all eternity. We still remember from last Sunday that this “wisdom” is not the one of this world. It belongs to the world of God and is understood only by the “perfect”, that is, by those “who have reached maturity”. Saint Paul contrasts the wisdom of God with that of “those who rule this world and are headed for destruction.” Thinking at some of our country’s leaders and their empty promises, I question my leadership also. Let us look at Christ washing the feet of his friends and ask this wisdom wherever we are. May that wisdom, with the insight of faith, help us to make the right decisions in life and to discover the gracious plans and blessings of God in our lives.
Finally, dear brothers and sisters, in today’s Gospel, which continues the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus continues his call for us to live with integrity and purity of heart. He focuses on you and me as his disciples challenging the letter of the Law, calling us to a heart that is transformed from within. It is principally this inner motive that constitutes our aversion from or conversion to God, and for which we will have to account as we are approaching the Lent season. One of my confreres during our “Lectio Divina” expressed that the “penitential act” is an interpretation of this gospel: “…I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and what I have failed to do”. Indeed, Saint Paul through his letter to the Galatians 5 help us to understand that without the freedom in Christ and life in the Holy Spirit, we are slaves of sin by our nature in flesh: “Immorality, impurity, shamelessness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy and violence, anger, ambition and selfishness, division, discord, envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like” (Gal 5, 20-21).
In a world that promotes through media the falsehood, superficiality and rebellion against God, crime in all its forms, pornography and all sexual deviations, unjust divorces, false promises and all forms of abuse, we need to question our Christian faith life from within and clarify our contribution. True wisdom, which comes to us through the Spirit, will help us to be honest and free within ourselves, in the sight of God and others. May the Holy Spirit clean our heart, our thoughts, and our eyes and perfect our actions. May his grace help us to build love, kindness, gentleness, reconciliation, responsibility and self-control. Let our living faith reflect honesty, integrity, one that doesn’t make excuses. Then we will be able to say “No” when it is “No” and “Yes” when it “Yes”, so that he may be known and loved by all, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear brothers and sisters, Shalom! I am currently undergoing driver training. Our instructor always reminds us that we have three partner guides we must obey to save ourselves and others while driving a car. God is our first partner, the rules of the road with which we have to communicate, and our heart (emotional intelligence) to which we have to listen. It is with this perspective that I share with you my meditation on the readings for this sixth Sunday of liturgical year A.
God gave us freedom from the beginning says the wisdom in the first reading. Then, we accountable for our actions, for the way we guide our own lives and make choices. A lot of situations do affect us at times, but we always retain the capability of making the basic decisions. It is a reminder that you and me are at a crossroads: one way leads to life, the other to death. We must choose between the two. The way of life is shown by the commandments of God; the way of death is marked by vices, passions and corruption. If we embrace the commandments realistically, then we can be free. However, if in order to be free, a driver were to disregard the road signs, to curse everybody, he would end up in a waterway and probably commit suicide or homicide. What is our relationship with the commandments?
In the second reading, Paul reminds us that God had a great plan of love for mankind and had not revealed it to anybody. Paul refers to this project that was in the mind of God as the “wisdom of God”, a “mystery” hidden in God from all eternity. We still remember from last Sunday that this “wisdom” is not the one of this world. It belongs to the world of God and is understood only by the “perfect”, that is, by those “who have reached maturity”. Saint Paul contrasts the wisdom of God with that of “those who rule this world and are headed for destruction.” Thinking at some of our country’s leaders and their empty promises, I question my leadership also. Let us look at Christ washing the feet of his friends and ask this wisdom wherever we are. May that wisdom, with the insight of faith, help us to make the right decisions in life and to discover the gracious plans and blessings of God in our lives.
Finally, dear brothers and sisters, in today’s Gospel, which continues the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus continues his call for us to live with integrity and purity of heart. He focuses on you and me as his disciples challenging the letter of the Law, calling us to a heart that is transformed from within. It is principally this inner motive that constitutes our aversion from or conversion to God, and for which we will have to account as we are approaching the Lent season. One of my confreres during our “Lectio Divina” expressed that the “penitential act” is an interpretation of this gospel: “…I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and what I have failed to do”. Indeed, Saint Paul through his letter to the Galatians 5 help us to understand that without the freedom in Christ and life in the Holy Spirit, we are slaves of sin by our nature in flesh: “Immorality, impurity, shamelessness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy and violence, anger, ambition and selfishness, division, discord, envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like” (Gal 5, 20-21).
In a world that promotes through media the falsehood, superficiality and rebellion against God, crime in all its forms, pornography and all sexual deviations, unjust divorces, false promises and all forms of abuse, we need to question our Christian faith life from within and clarify our contribution. True wisdom, which comes to us through the Spirit, will help us to be honest and free within ourselves, in the sight of God and others. May the Holy Spirit clean our heart, our thoughts, and our eyes and perfect our actions. May his grace help us to build love, kindness, gentleness, reconciliation, responsibility and self-control. Let our living faith reflect honesty, integrity, one that doesn’t make excuses. Then we will be able to say “No” when it is “No” and “Yes” when it “Yes”, so that he may be known and loved by all, our Lord Jesus Christ.