1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-27 / Luke 6:39-42
Athletes deny themselves for earthly crowns. In his autobiography
Nigger, Dick Gregory, the athlete, comedian, and civil rights activist, tells
how, in high school, he disciplined himself to run for several hours each day,
even in the midst of winter. He says: "I don't think I would ever
have finished high school without running, never got hungry while I was
running, even though we never ate breakfast at home and I didn't always
have enough money for lunch. I was proud of my body . . . and never
had to take a rest." Dick Gregory is a living example of what Paul
talks about in today's reading.
How courageously do we discipline our bodies and our spirits to win a
crown that will never perish? "The heights by great men reached and
kept Were not attained by sudden flight, But, they, while their
companion slept, were toiling upward in the night."
Henry Longfellow
****
Paul asserts and proves that he has two rights which are the rights of
every human person: the right to marry and the right to receive due wages for
his work. The other apostles claim these rights. He
renounces them for the sake of the kingdom, to give God a
better service. An apostle had to be supported by the people. Every priest, Jew
and pagan, lived on the altar. The principle was: who serves the altar,
lives by the altar. This principle is followed in the church till today.
The sacrifice gave the priest his share. People were generous enough and gave
of their best. From this developed the custom of offering a stipend for the
sacrifice of the Mass. Paul renounced this right of receiving any recompense for
his work. It made him not only more independent, so that he could not be
considered a burden. Above all he expected all his reward from God. He lived on
the work of his hands. Like a Jewish rabbi who considered working for God a privilege and
duty.
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Living in government flats (public housing) has its conveniences as well
as its irritations. One irritation, at least on the ears, is when someone
decides to start practising the piano, or the trumpet, or sings along with the
karaoke. Somehow the Do-Re-Me of the music scales, or an out-of-tune melody, or
that annoying voice of the karaoke singing, pervades and invades our
consciousness and subconsciousness. At times, we wish we could be deaf for just
that particular period of time. But the intrusion on our ears should also open
our eyes to see that practice and training are necessary disciplines for any
kind of skill. Even St. Paul noted in the 1st reading that athletes go into
strict training just to win a prize that will eventually wither away. One
spiritual exercise that we ought to do at least twice a day is the examination
of our conscience. We can do it once in the middle of the day and another
before we end the day. As we give thanks to God for His blessings, we also ask
God for the grace to see the planks in our own eyes that obstruct us from seeing
the goodness of the people around us, and the lessons of love that life is
teaching us. So, the next time we hear someone plonking away at the piano, or
blaring away with the trumpet, or singing out of tune, let us see the
perseverance and persistence. May that also help to bring out the patience and
understanding in ourselves.
****
Reflection on the Gospel: These words are addressed to the
apostles. Jesus is training them. They are meant to be leaders in the
community and teachers. As leaders they cannot be blind, as teachers they
cannot be ignorant. As teachers they have to equip themselves with the
knowledge their master has and wants them to communicate. No teacher can lead
his pupils beyond what he himself knows. They must learn to see. Words are
not enough in a leader.
He needs the full vision if he wants to be a leader. He must
be able to make others see. A good leader and a good teacher have a
positive attitude to those they lead and teach. Their faults cannot
destroy the respect he has for them. The leader and teacher are more
vulnerable, if people are able to point a finger at them and accuse them.
Their task is to remove the faults, to take off all that keeps their charges
away from Christ. If, however, the faults they point out are also their
own, their teaching loses effectiveness. The audience must have smiled at this
humorous way of putting it.
****
It is equally important for ourselves that we remember the "big
picture" whether it be unity at home, work or parish. If we live alone, we
can be as demanding as we wish. But when we live in a community, compromise is
important. The issue that Paul has been tackling is the location of the
dividing line between the negotiable and the non-negotiable. It is difficult at
times to distinguish the trivial from the important. Everything in our life and
in our religion is not at the same level. There is a hierarchy of values in our
church life, spiritual life, work life, social life and personal life.
****
Let us Pray: Lord
our God, you are just and holy, and yet you are patient and tolerant with us. We are but slow-learning students of our one
Teacher, Jesus Christ. He saw people’s
faults, but he had come not to condemn but to forgive and save. Give us clear eyes to look into our own
hearts and consciences, but dim them with the shades of love when we see the
faults of those around us. We ask you
this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless.