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Wednesday – Thirtieth Week – OT2
Readings: Eph 6:1-9; Lk 13:22-30.
Reading 1 (Eph 6:1-9):
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Honor your father and mother.
This is the first commandment with a promise,
that it may go well with you
and that you may have a long life on earth.
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger,
but bring them up with the training and instruction of the Lord.
Slaves, be obedient to your human masters with fear and trembling,
in sincerity of heart, as to Christ,
not only when being watched, as currying favor,
but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
willingly serving the Lord and not men,
knowing that each will be requited from the Lord
for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
Masters, act in the same way towards them, and stop bullying,
knowing that both they and you have a Master in heaven
and that with him there is no partiality.
Gospel (Lk 13:22-30):
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.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
‘Lord, open the door for us.’
He will say to you in reply,
‘I do not know where you are from.’
And you will say,
‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’
Then he will say to you,
‘I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!’
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last.”
I. THEME: Relationship is a two-ways street.
People often demand others to be this way or that way; and if they don’t get that, they criticize others as stubborn or obstinate or hard to get along with. These people should sometimes look at themselves to see if they are the reasons for these reactions from others. All good relationship requires two ways: the actor and the reacted. The golden law states, “If you don’t want to be treated as such, don’t do that to others.” Jesus even pushed to perfection, “If you want others to do that for you, do that for others first.”
Today readings give us some examples to show that a good relationship demands right actions from both sides. In the first reading, St. Paul gave us two examples of relationships: first, between parents and children; and second, between a master and his slaves; and what two sides must do to guarantee a good relationship. In the Gospel, Jesus paid a special attention to the relation between people and God. People are required not only to know God but also to sacrifice for Him by fighting to enter the heaven through the narrow door and to witness for Him.
II. ANALYSIS:
1/ Reading I: Relationship is a two-ways street.
After treating the relationships between Christ and the Church, and the relationship between husband and wife, St. Paul proceeded to treat two more relationships in a household.
1.1/ Relationship between children and their parents:
A. Children’s duties: Paul listed two main duties of children which are:
(1) Obedience: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” Honor your parents is the fourth in the Ten Commandments. To help parents to fulfill God’s given duties to them, children need to obey their parents. Obedience is so critical in all relationships.
(2) Respect: “”Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise, “that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on earth.”” Respect parents is the condition to be blessed by God and to live a long life. The Book of Sirach also taught: “He who honors his father atones for sins; he stores up riches who reveres his mother.” (Sir 3:3-4).
B. Parents’ duties: Paul also listed two main duties:
(1) “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger”: These followings can provoke children to anger: Condemning children what they don’t do; making them to do unreasonable things; telling them to do things what parents refuse to do; don’t set good examples for them; despising or comparing them with other children; don’t love and care for them, etc.
(2) “Bring them up with the training and instruction of the Lord”: Giving divine instruction, training and corrections are parents’ main duties. According to prophet Ezekiel, if children are spoiled and lost due to parents’ neglecting of their duties, God shall demand parents of their children’s blood; but if parents tried to fulfill their duties and children are still lost, children are responsible for their sins (Eze 33:7-9).
1.2/ Relationship between a master and his slaves: We must understand this advice in the historical background of society at that time, so that we don’t condemn St. Paul that he favored slavery policy. In the society at that time, slavery is accepted by a majority of people. A master has a total power on his servants’ fate. Even so, St. Paul still paid a special attention to a two-ways relationship:
A. The servants’ duties: Since St. Paul thought that all power come from God for the common good, so he advised servants to imitate Christ as he obeyed the Father (Cf. Phil 2:5-11).
(1) Obedience: “Slaves, be obedient to your human masters with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ, not only when being watched, as currying favor, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.”
(2) Happily serving: Let “willingly serving the Lord and not human beings, knowing that each will be requited from the Lord for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.”
B. The master’s duties: According to the custom at that time, a servant has no right to ask his master for anything; but St. Paul advised a Christian master must do the following two things for his servants:
(1) Kindly treating: “Masters, act in the same way toward them, and stop bullying.” If servants heartily serve their masters, they must also kindly treat them with human dignity, not consider them as things to use.
(2) Don’t threat: “Knowing that both they and you have a Master in heaven and that with him there is no partiality.” According to Paul, everyone is equal in Christ’s body (Gal 3:28).
2/ Gospel: “Strive to enter by the narrow door.”
2.1/ Strive to enter by the narrow door because the large road only leads to destruction:
Many people would prefer the easiest way, the shortest route; but experience shows such preference only leads to failure. Without discipline, a student or an athlete cannot be successful. This is true not only for an individual but also for a community. Many people are so centered on God’s mercy, they forget about God’s justice. These people believe and preach the Universalism: since God so love people, He will save all, including those who refused to be saved. Jesus’ message in today Gospel must be a warning for these people.
2.2/ The kingdom of God is only for those who put Jesus’ preaching into practice, not just knowing him: Many emphasizes knowledge about God, Jesus stressed deeds. He warned those who only believe him in words: “Then you will begin to say, `We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, `I tell you; I do not know where you come from; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!’”
Jesus also warned us a painful reality: “There you will weep and gnash your teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves thrust out. And men will come from east and west, and from north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
III. APPLICATION IN LIFE:
– All good relationships require two-ways dimensions, for examples, the relationships between God and people, husband and wife, parents and children, master and slaves.
– We must fight to enter the kingdom of heaven through a narrow door because wide streets only lead to destruction.
– We must always remember that God isn’t only the God of mercy but also of justice.