REFLECTION/HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 32ND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR 1 14TH NOVEMBER 2023

REFLECTION/HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 32ND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR 1 14TH NOVEMBER 2023

Wisdom 2:23-3:9; Ps.34; Luke 17:7-10

Life in Christ

God cannot die and so whatever is kept in the hands of God cannot die too. The first reading of today consoles and assures us that when our souls are in the hands of God, no torment will ever come near us. By this statement, natural death was implicitly defined. Since the righteous cannot escape natural death, it therefore means that natural death is not a torment. The first reading went on to say that it is foolishness to see death as an affliction. It does admit that death brings about departure and separation and so, will be accompanied with some pain. But this separation is not a thing of torment to the dead.

What torment then is the author of the book of wisdom referring to that will not come upon the souls of the righteous? It is eternal damnation. Eternal damnation is torment because it is pain-unending; the pain of living outside of God’s mercy. A life without God seems pleasurable in this world that is why Scripture describes it as the broad way that leads to destruction.

The gospel reading brings to our consciousness that the grace of God is a gift not a merited favour. Even when we cooperation with this grace, we do not become entitled to it. No one is entitled to heaven even after struggling to live a good life. This is because, our good will always bear some imperfections. God sees the sincerity of our effort and then grant us His mercy.

If we forget that it is God’s mercy that perfects our human efforts, we become arrogant. This is one reason why the rich are forgetful of God. By the rich, I mean those who are so preoccupied with the things of the world. This altitude prevents us from dealing mercifully with one another. We think others are poor because they are lazy; others are meek because they are weak.

The psalmist blessed the name of the Lord because all good things come from the Lord. Beloved, if we live our lives always in reference to God, then we will live forever with Him in heaven.