Friday of the 22nd week in the ordinary time of the year C
Theme: Good stewards
In the 1st reading of today from St. Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians, he points out two very important points that we need to reflect on as children of God. The first one has to do with the issue of stewardship as followers of Christ. According to Paul, we have to be trustworthy as followers of Christ, who are his representatives here on earth. Although Paul felt he should not be assessed based on that standard, because he has shown by his actions and preaching’s that he has passed that test. However, for you and I as followers of Christ in our own time, it will not be a bad idea if we take out time to assess our stewardship as children of God. This is a question that we need to answer as individuals and not as a group. Will your stewardship as a follower of Christ in our own time give you a pass mark? If yes, thanks be to God. But if no, now is the time to begin to work to improve the quality of our discipleship by living a good and trustworthy life that will help us to become better Christians and children of God.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, another important point raised by St. Paul in today’s 1st reading, is the fact that we should be slow in judging the actions of other people, but rather concentrate more on working to become better people. Sometimes we are quick to judge people, not minding the fact that we don’t have all the facts as it concerns that particular person or situation. Often times when this happens, we may not have all the facts to make an informed judgement. That is why it is always very important to listen to the two sides of the story, lest you make a very serious mistake. Strictly speaking, it is only God who truly has all the facts that will give rise to an informed judgement. In view of this, Paul is saying that we should allow God to be the judge at the end of our earthly pilgrimage. This is St. Paul’s subtle way of saying that we should trust God and be patient with one another.
In the gospel reading of today, we see the Scribes and Pharisees trying to indict the style of leadership of Jesus Christ, and Jesus used the opportunity to lecture them about the fact that with his presence, his disciples do not need to fast. Just like Jesus pointed out, a time came when they had to pray and fast. My brothers and sisters in Christ, prejudice can easily affect our objective way of looking at a particular situation. That is exactly what played out in today’s gospel reading, let us try to guide against it in our life. As you do this, may almighty God bless you, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.