30th Week, Wednesday, Oct 26
Ephesians 6:1-9 / Luke 13:22-30Paul addresses parents; Instruct your children in Christian living.
Senator Jake Garn of Utah is the only senator ever to fly on a space-shuttle mission. Time magazine (September 22, 1986) reported on another first for Senator Garn. His 27-year-old daughter, Susan, needed a kidney. Garn had medical tests run to see if he was a suitable donor for her. The tests were positive; he was qualified. "I am very happy and proud to be the donor," he told the doctors. Shortly afterward the transplant was made at Georgetown University Hospital. It was successful. Few daughters had more reasons to be proud of their father than did Susan.
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Do we instruct our own children in Christian living, not
only in words but also by example? "It is easier for a father to have
children than for children to have a father.' "Pope John XXIII
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Introduction
God has no favourites. “He is not impressed by one
person any more than by another.” Thus, Ephesians sums up the passage we hear
today. This passage speaks to children and their parents, to slaves and to
their masters, about their mutual relationships of respect, responsibility and
love. Before God they are all equal. In later centuries, the logical conclusion
will be drawn that no human person can be enslaved to any other human being.
For disciples of Christ, it is not enough to know about the
Lord or to come to Mass to eat with the Lord or to read the Bible. As Jesus
tells us in many ways throughout the Gospel, we must live as his disciples and
put his word into practice. Otherwise, it is as if we did not know him and he does
not know us.
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There is this undeniable tension between parents and
children, and also between superiors and subordinates. It is an age-old tension
that is essentially a matter of lack of understanding between the two parties
and when one party imposes its opinions on the other party and the other party
opposes and disagrees with the other party.
The 1st reading addresses this problem and proposes this
solution: Children, be obedient to your parents; parents, never drive your
children to resentment; slaves be obedient to your masters with deep respect
and sincere loyalty; employers, treat your slaves kindly. Putting all this in
practical terms, the simple question that we can ask ourselves is this: How can
I make the other party feel better? Whatever status or position in life, when
we ask ourselves "How can I make the other party feel better?" then
the tensions and misunderstandings in relationships would be addressed. That
could also be the practical way of understanding the teaching of Jesus in the
gospel when He says: Try your best to enter by the narrow door. We would want
others to open the door wide for us, but are we also willing to open the door
wide for others? When we do our best to enter by the narrow door and understand
how difficult it is, then we would want to open the door wide for others. Because
we would want them to feel better in relating with us and that would also mean
that we would feel better in relating with them. We have known the tensions of
relationships, whether as parents or children or as superior or subordinate.
Let us now look at the narrow door and try to make others feel better.
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Prayer
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we know that there are poor people and that there are people suffering from injustice and the hard-heartedness of others. Do not allow us to remain indifferent to their plight but give us the courage to share with the needy and to be the voice of the voiceless. Make our faith deep and committed, that you may recognize us as real brothers and sisters, of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
