In Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word governance is synonymous to the word “stewardship”. This is to signify that to be involved with governance is to be a steward. Stewardship is a charge and responsibility entrusted to someone, an office appointed to or a mission delegated to a person who is to manage, administer and supervise the affairs of the master or superior individuals or community. A steward then is not the Lord master-owner himself but the OIC- the officer in charge, administrator, piniyalan, sinaligan, inkargado – acting in behalf of the superior Lord, body or institutions.
St. Paul knew his place. His tasks and charge is not to lord over but to be God’s steward for the gentiles. He is God’s OIC – officer-in-charge for the gentiles with the task of making known to all that the gentiles are our coheirs, co-members of God’s body and co-partners in the promise of God’s salvation.
Jesus in our gospel today reminds us also that we are not lords, earls or señoritos/señoritas but just mere stewards-OICs of God’s salvation. Everyone of us who follows Jesus is the servant-in charge of His affairs & mission. In whatever capacity, talents and vocation, we are tasked to manage, entrusted to govern, commissioned to administer and charged to steward God’s concerns & blessings for All. Freed from sin, like Paul, as Christians we are responsible now to become disciple servant-witnesses of our Lord’s righteousness.
And Jesus is quick to teach us that as God’s steward, more are required and demanded, and much is expected of us for we are not to abuse such charge since great power, blessings & talents come with great responsibility.
Beyond then our preoccupations with being first in life, be reminded that we are mere servant-stewards task to be able “to drink the cup that has been prepared for us”. Ours then is to be responsible for our special charge to perform & our mission to fulfill what we are & ought to do in this life.
We pray that we may be always truly and diligently responsible for our charge and mission as God’s stewards of redemption to all and for all.
Have I settled down? Have I found what I am looking for? Do I find fulfillment and contentment with what is happening in my life now? With my work? In my relationships? Or am I restless and still searching, unable to settle down? Do I find emptiness and meaninglessness with what I do and with I have?
Indeed, when we have reached an age of maturity and finds ourselves still searching and longing for something worthwhile and meaningful for our life, we might find ourselves restless and anxious. As a result, we could be shifting a course one after another, or changing jobs one after another or ending a romantic relationship and starting a new one without any fulfillment in those relationships. Our mind keeps changing. We are confused what we really like and what we don’t like. At times, we would just let others tell us what to do but later on regret because we never wanted it.
However, such restlessness would also allow us to refine our intentions and see better ourselves. This also means that we need help from others to accompany and guide us in searching and finding what we are meant to be and to do. In fact, St. Irenaeus famously said, “the glory of God is a human being fully alive.” Having our full potentials, expressing and giving fully and freely what we are meant to be and to do would reveal the glory of God in us.
In today’s readings, this need and reality is revealed to us. And so, let us see how God unfolds his invitations and challenges for us.
Jesus, in the Gospel of Mark, encountered a man who in his heart knew already what he wanted. He asked the Lord, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” This man must have been respected and adored by many. He was a good man, religious and a pious Jew. He followed the commandments of God. He too was rich. Having such kind of character and wealth, people must have looked up to him. However, he too was restless. He was in search of something more meaningful and more worthwhile perhaps, over his routine in life.
The Gospel told us, that Jesus looking at him, loved him and said, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then, come and follow me.”
Nevertheless, the words and demands of Jesus were too radical and difficult for him to accept. He must have understood that and knew that that was the way, yet, he couldn’t. This made the man sad. He went away and did not follow Jesus because he had many possessions. The many things he possessed prevented him to be free.
This makes us realize now that what we have achieved, accumulated, gathered or saved in this life won’t give us the true assurance of contentment in life. We may have the best job and position in our company, but remains unhappy. We may have gained many degrees and have spent a number of years in our profession but we feel empty. We may be so comfortable in life, doing so well with our business, yet, we feel restless when we are alone. Or we may have also been married or committed ourselves to religious life, having spent a number of years, yet, at the end of the day we couldn’t deny that our heart is still longing for something more. And this can be tiring or at times overwhelming.
When we are in this kind of crossroad in life, this is also an opportunity for us to see clearly ourselves and see God. What we need is a heart that seeks wisdom able to discern and choose what to keep and what to let go.
This is what the first reading calls us today. The author of the Book of Wisdom says, “I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.” Wisdom is proven to be better than power and wealth, even with health and beauty. With wisdom, it leads us to what is lasting and fulfilling.
This is what we also discover with the Word of God, filled with wisdom, as revealed in our second reading. The Letter to the Hebrews tells us that “the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.”
Hence, there are three points that we can bring today as our take-aways.
First, come closer to Jesus. Like the man in the Gospel, take the courage and the boldness to come closer to Jesus, to encounter him, that we too might be able to look at his eyes and realize how much Jesus loves us. This should give us the assurance and confidence above everything else. We can do this as we come closer to the Sacraments of the Church. The Holy Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation would surely bring us closer to Jesus and to ourselves.
Second, seek for wisdom. Wisdom is a gift and through the Word of God revealed to us this gift is given. There are also people who can help us and seek wisdom for us to be able to see and understand better our heart. This may help us to discern well and choose what will give us true fulfillment.
Third, let go of those that are possessing us. As wisdom will help see and discern our heart, let wisdom allow us to take action by letting go whatever is possessing us, of those that prevent us to be free. Unlike the man in the Gospel, we may not go away feeling sad because we are unable to let go, but rather take the risk of letting go and following Jesus freely and gladly.
May these challenges bring us closer to Jesus and allow us to create and develop lasting relationships as we tread the path of life God calls us to be, wherever we are now and whatever is our status. Hinaut pa.
In a recent Facebook post, a young man named Seth Adam Smith who, after being married to his childhood sweetheart for a year and a half, realized, and said: “Marriage is not for me.” Why…? after all these months of marriage, eventually he comes to appreciate his Father’s advice before his wedding. Before wedding, His dad said to him: “Seth, marriage is not for you. You don’t marry to make yourself happy. You marry to make someone else happy. More than that, marriage is not for yourself. You are marrying for a family and for your future children. Marriage is not for you. It is not about you. Marriage is about the person you married.”
Surely married couples could relate to such realization or advice. For marriage is indeed not really for the sake of oneself but for the sake of your lifetime partner. Eventually married couple has to learn along the way that marriage is not all about “I” or about “Me” or about “You” but all about “US”. And surely such realization is a hard-learned lesson, for such wisdom only happens through trial-and-error experiences.
To be selfless, i.e. to be not selfish and self-centered then is the very challenge of committed love we called marriage. For love is more than just a feeling or emotion but a commitment and decision to go beyond and give up oneself for the sake of the other. In other words, in marriage – in committed love, couples are to love their own spouse and children as much more than they love themselves and one another. Their love should be other-oriented than self-directed.
A married life in committed love is thus, not for your own but for the sake of your loved ones and for the sake of loving them, same way as Jesus loved us. Love then should not be a story of “I” nor a story of “me” or “you”, but is & should be a story of US.
In our gospel today, wanting more than just observing and obeying God’s commandments, the rich man asked Jesus for an advice as to how to inherit eternal life. With and in love, Jesus counselled and challenged him to give up and share everything to the poor and follow Jesus. Instead, the rich man however went away sad for he had many possessions. With this, we hear Jesus’ well-known words, “Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom” – harder than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.
And sadly, we also unwittingly misquote & misuse these words as our usual excuse for our failures and shortcomings in life-commitment, as well as for thinking and even believing that God’s salvation and eternal life is difficult, impossible, and even exclusive only for the few.
Nonetheless Jesus teaches us in our gospel today that Eternal life with God’s salvation is more than just our longing for sacredness and holiness in life, and our search for contentment and happiness in life. For Jesus, life with God is all about having and being in covenant & committed relationship with God. In other words, eternal life is all about being married to God, and also requires of us to have marriage with God. No wonder why ordained, consecrated, and married life are sometimes described as: “a life married to God” for it is indeed a marriage – a loving commitment to God.
And since eternal life is our marriage to God, we may also say that our marriage to God is not FOR us, because committed life with God is not about us, and not for ourselves alone, but moreso for the sake of, and all about God’s glory and salvation for all others than just us.
Jesus also somehow teaches us today that like any marriages, our life with God involves detachment, charity, and discipleship. Same way as the rich man is asked to give up and share everything to the poor. To live life with God, we must also learn detachment, i.e. how to give up, even deny ourselves, and share what we have to other and for others. As married to-God people, our life: our time, talent, and treasure are not for us alone but for
God and others than ourselves. Life with God also requires us to be and do everything with and for charity, i.e. not for a prize or reward, but for free and out of love, and in responsibility for others. And above all, life with God is to be a disciple – a follower of Jesus in life.
As people married to God, we must also then learn to lead our lives same way as Jesus lives, serves, and loves God and others. Detachment, Charity, and Discipleship are somehow key ingredients in our marriage to God, and as to any committed-relationship as well.
As Jesus forewarned us, difficult and impossible for us it may be, such life in marriage to God is also possible, since “All things are possible For God”. In other words, Life with God is possible and meaningful, if and when we do things and have our being not for ourselves but for God’s sake, and for others than ourselves.
Lord Jesus, guide us continually in life for us to know God deeply, love Him dearly, and follow Him faithfully especially now & always. Amen.
What would make marriages last long? What would keep a wife and a husband to stay together? Love? Faithfulness? Commitment? Sacrifice? Faith in God? What would also destroy marriages? What would make a wife and a husband separate from one another after committing to love each other? Unfaithfulness? Hatred? Abuse? Vices? Anger?
Certainly, there are many angles and aspects in the life of married people that we have to recognize and understand in order to better accompany, guide, nurture and develop such relationship that is very important both in our Church and in the society at large.
According to an author, he identified top 10 reasons of marriage breakups[1]. But here, I will just mention the first 5 reasons. According to him, these first five reasons are namely, first, immaturity of one or both spouses. Second is clashes of personalities. Third is money issues. Fourth is interference by in-laws and commonly by mothers-in-law. And fifth is domestic abuse and violence against spouses which may be physical, emotional or psychological.
These tell us why the Absolute Divorce Bill in our country is being pushed in congress because the recent law that we have make marriage difficult to annul. Though this push is not theological in nature but on availability, accessibility and as easy way out of those whose marriages were problematic, yet, it also fundamentally attacks the sanctity of marriage as our Catholic teachings remind us.
Moreover, aside from these causes of breakups in marriages, there is also another aspect and reason and slowly weakens the importance of marriage. According to a survey conducted by Radio Veritas[2] there are about 45 percent of Filipino Catholics who believed that marriage is not necessary before people could live together. This means that there is a common belief now that living together outside marriage is normal and getting married in the Church is not that important.
However, despite these reasons and scenarios in marriage, these do not diminish the beauty and wonder of marriage life. I am sure many couples who in spite of the many struggles and countless arguments and hurts they encountered, have chosen to stay together and committed once again to love each other until death will set them apart.
This is what our readings have revealed today on this 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time. And so, let us revisit the sacred scripture proclaimed to us today and see how God unfolds the call for us to protect, nurture and develop the Sacrament of Marriage.
The Book of Genesis portrays to us how God realized the complementarity of man and woman. This is expressed as the Lord God said, “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.” Man and woman, in marriage, are called to be partners, to complement each other.
The connection of both has also been made more significant as the Book of Genesis told us how the completeness of both is discovered in each one. This means that the rib taken out from the man completes the woman, and the husband who is called to cling to his wife finds his fullness. This is how the two become one flesh, united in love.
This partnership of man and woman is further elaborated in the Psalm where husband and wife finds delight in their relationship at home whose marriage is centered not on their personal pleasure, but in the glory of God revealed in their marriage. This is how we can sing joyfully, “May the Lord bless us all the days of our life.”
In this way, we also understand better that marriage is not merely a human initiative but God’s divine plan for the world to bring glory. The Letter to the Hebrews reminds us, “for whom (Christ) and through whom (Christ) all things exist in bringing many children to glory.” This means again that marriage is also not a mundane human relationship but it is destined to bring and reveal the glory of God in our homes, communities and the world.
This is what Jesus brought out in today’s Gospel. He was asked by the Pharisees on the lawfulness of divorce in which at that time divorce was allowed in that culture and time. However, that time only men were allowed to divorce their wives. This was something that was already problematic and unfair.
Hence, Jesus in response to that question went to the heart of the matter and identified the very reason why divorce was only allowed. It was through the “hardness of your hearts.” Again, divorce was only allowed as an easy way out for people yet, it does not solve the main problem or the root cause on why marriage was breaking down.
The hardness of the heart is seasoned by indifference and selfishness in marriage, by manipulation, abuse and violence, by our immaturity and unpreparedness, by our desire to be above and to dominate, by our greed for self-pleasure and of a heart that nurtures hatred.
However, this is not what God intended marriage to be. The Lord God designed and planned that woman and man will be partners all their life not competitors. Husband and wife are called to complement each one, to help and nurture each one, to develop and support one another.
That is the reason why marriage is not just a mere human union or human agreement of being together, but a sacrament, a sacred relationship centered on God who called a husband and wife to live together for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death will set you apart. Amen. Hinaut pa.
A wise man once said, “Each one of us are angels… But, with one wing. We can only fly by embracing each other.” Reflecting on these words, such wisdom somehow reflects our daily experience and journey of being human and Christian in this life. Human as we are, these words of wisdom affirm our being HOLY – our promise and desire to be holy and sacred in life, as somewhat angel-like. But Holy may we be, these words also reveal our being HUMAN – our limitations and constraints to become holy in life, as one-winged angel.
“Angels with one wing” somehow describes our aspirations and our frustrations of being and becoming Human and Holy in this life, and highlights our experience of loneliness – of being alone in life, and our need for one another as well. However, as these words of wisdom suggest we can only fulfill our longing for sacredness in our human nature, by way of flying via embracing each other.
This calls for us then not to be weighed down by our human limits, but to fly – that is to resolve and commit ourselves to rise up and respond to the occasion and chance to become angels in life. And also this calls us to do the flying together in relationship along and with one another. In other words, we are inter-related. (Magkaugnay). Only by flying-journeying with others – not by walking alone, each and all of us can reach the destination we are promised and we longed for in life, as “angels with one wing.”
Surely our readings today can teach us a lot of things about our life-experiences of being Holy & Human. But aside from the themes of creation, marriage, divorce, adultery, parents and children, our readings today are all about our human need to have a committed relationship in life, i.e. to be in covenant relationship with God and with One another.
We are told in our first reading today that as God created us, He also sees our human need to have a partner in life for “It is not good for man to be alone” and even animals and pets are not enough for us. He ensures a suitable human partner for us in life, so that we can leave our parents and be with our God-given partner in life.
God thus has created us not to be alone and/or be with our parents, but to be with our own God-Given suitable partners, for us to live the life God has created us to be. Jesus in our gospel today reminds us not to block and be a hindrance in letting ourselves and others to come to God and live the life God has called us to be, and challenge us to remain faithful and steadfast in our relationship with one another as we live our life-mission God has called us to be as well.
Both readings give importance to our human need to have and be in a committed relationship as God sees & wills it. More than just having a friendly, convenient, and secure relationship in life, God appreciates that we, human as we are, should be committed to the life God has chosen us to be, and to live such-committed life in relationship with our own suitable partner God has destined us to be with.
In other words, though with one wing, we should be angels – flying, coming to God’s glory, rising up and committing to the occasion to live the life God has called us to be, and by means of interdependence, embracingly flying/journeying in relationship with our God-given suitable partners in life.
Perhaps beyond our concerns for our civil status or even FB Profile status, whether we are Single-Married, in relationship, in love or complicated, we should moreso ask ourselves, “Am I committed to the life God has called me now to be? Am I also in a covenant-relationship with my God-given suitable partner in the journey?” Simply asked, “Am I committed and committing to where I am going and with-whom I am going with toward the life God has chosen me and us to be?”
Nowadays we hear loud noises proclaiming “Walang Forever”, i.e. there is no promise of forever, eternity, constancy and always in life. True it may be for those who cannot commit, who refuse to rise to the occasion but be remain burdened by their limits and choose to be on their own and alone in their own life-struggles, still dependent on their own parents and others.
But “There is forever, always, and eternal life”… for commit-able people, people who can commit, still committed and committing to live the life God has chosen them to be and to the partner they are to be with. We could say also that committed relationships are measured by faithfulness & not by success, for our journey in life is not about gaining heights but moreso about remaining steadfast/faithful in our efforts to fly & journey along with others.
Though not of this world but in this world, Christian and human as we are, we are Holy and Sacred for we are also God’s children and Jesus’ brothers and sisters. And difficult it may be, we can always be holy and sacred in this life, if and whenever we commit to the life God has called us to be and to the suitable partner God has given us to be with.
Again as the saying goes: “Each one of us are angels… But, with one wing. We can only fly by embracing each other.” With these words, may we learn and grow with holiness despite our human limits, in our Christian lives today. Amen.
A DOSE OF GOD TODAY 