XIX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
THE CHRISTIAN SOLIDARITY
By our Pastor, Fr. Carmelo Jiménez
We follow Jesus in his journey toward Jerusalem. In his pilgrimage he was passing villages and fields, and was teaching his disciples, about how to live the Christian faith, hope, and love, as well as solidarity. Last Sunday the readings were questioning our way of life. Readings for this Sunday question our way of waiting, could we say how we live our hope?
The Book of Wisdom says: “Your people awaited the salvation of the just and the destruction of their foes. For when you punished our adversaries, in this you glorified us whom you had summoned” (Wis 18: 7-8). The author of this book wants to convey the gratitude that Israel’s people lived the day they were released from slavery. Gratitude because they remember that God acted with delicate providence in favor of his people. The sacred author wanted to commemorate that event because God always keeps his promises. Remember with gratitude that the release of those enslaved is the ruin of the oppressor, which could only happen with the mighty hand of God, our Lord.
“For in secret the holy children of the good were offering sacrifice and carried out with one mind the divine institution, so that your holy ones should share alike the same blessings and dangers.” (Wis 18: 9) This is great because it proclaims solidarity at all times and with all the brothers and sisters. Passover will always be an event and a sign of a people reborn, it will also be the feast of the family (clan or tribe, church, nation, etc.) and the feast of God’s people. Now it is so sad to see a world so divided by: wars, ideologies, political parties, churches and sects. This reading invites us to live in solidarity and unity.
“Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” (Heb 11: 1) So, faith is linked closely to hope in a loving and merciful God. Thus hope appears as a virtue that energizes an entire people and each of its members with assurance of getting what is promised by God. The people of Israel were the testimony of God’s faithfulness, because they were released according to the promises they had received.
“For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be,” (Lk 12: 34) this really questions our life! Where is our heart? As Christians we are asked, what is our hope?
“Be ready, gird your loins and light your lamps. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” (Lk 12: 35. 40) In our times are many soothsayers, some of them have dared to give an exact date of the end of the world. Many of those dates have passed and nothing happened. Because the great truth is Christ will return in glory and power, as a judge of the whole universe. When? Nobody knows, even Jesus Christ does not know, only God the Father. So the invitation is to be ready, because everyone, absolutely everyone will have to give account of our lives. Jesus’ disciples must flee two reproachable positions: the wasting of gifts and pride for the gifts received. What God has given us we receive gratefully, and recognizing that it is a free gift given to us for the common good and therefore we must avoid any false humility or modesty and all conceit.
We as believers must use all our gifts, of any kind, that are to produce things for our own good as well as for others, so that God may be glorified. To live our hope and avoid division, injustice, and all kinds of evil. To live our faith commits us to be in solidarity with our brothers and sisters.