God asks us to use all of our possessions and entire being to serve Him
When given a very difficult task or an almost insurmountable goal, we sometimes go back to the person who gave us the task and ask if they would be willing to compromise somewhat. Instead of trusting that the person who gives the task is aware of our abilities, we let our insecurities keep us from staying faithful to the goal.
In the case of the Gospel for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we revisit a familiar story. It’s not the only time in the Gospels when someone asks Jesus what they need to do to be good, faithful, loving or His disciples. Each time, Jesus repeats the same thing: God wishes everything from us and wants us to use all of our possessions and our entire being to serve Him. Nothing is to be held back, and all is to be offered without condition.
We know our mission, but it seems almost impossible to do. This is challenging because we consistently give less than what we can and live out of fear of scarcity rather than trust in God’s overwhelming generosity.
This Gospel is an invitation for us to take an inventory of our personal lives and the communal life of our faith community. Has God given us everything we need and more? Has there ever been a time when we have chosen to give of ourselves for the sake of God and other people without God responding in generosity? Have we lost sight of the fact that every time we are forgiving, compassionate or understanding, our hearts are filled with the presence of God and we know that we are being the kind of person that we are meant to be? Our actions of charity and generosity become self-affirming moments of grace.
It seems that our task might be to stay more conscious, on a day-by-day basis, of the incredible faithfulness that God shows to us. Instead of being tempted into entitlement, growing callous to God’s graciousness and taking for granted our daily blessings, it is our daily task to remain conscious and claim God as the source of all goodness in our lives.
Some people are in the habit of keeping a gratitude journal. That is a fancy name for tracking how we experience God’s gifts daily. Those who keep a gratitude journal notice very quickly that it is not the extraordinary gift that needs to be remembered, but the everyday ordinary gifts that God showers upon our life that remind us of God’s constant presence and generous love for us.
Some of us need to become more conscious of our ability to receive gifts. Have we ever noticed how we act when somebody tries to give us something and expects nothing in return? Do we feel indebted to them? Do we say thank you instead of making excuses or acting embarrassed? Instead of weighing whether or not we deserve the gift, could we pause and say thank you to God and others?
This weekend’s first Scripture reading is from the Book of Wisdom and reminds us of two special gifts God gives us if we recognize and accept them. Wisdom and prudence are gifts we could use a heavier dose of these days. Both wisdom and prudence teach us to listen more than we talk and to value others as much as we value ourselves. They teach us to take the stance of God, whose first step toward all of creation is an embrace of love.
We know what we need to do to be disciples of Jesus. Let’s just do that day by day.
Father Donald Wester is retired and serves as lecturer of homiletics at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary.
