August 9, Tuesday, 19th Week in Ordinary Time / St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
Ezekiel 2:8 – 3:4 and Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14
What is good in knowing our faith if we do not lead a single soul to God?
Pope Francis’ call for the universal church to walk the synodal path provoked heated discussions among the church hierarchy, theologians and simple believers. But this invitation for a synodal church also sparked so many souls to talk about Jesus. What is considered scandalous to some is taken as inspiration by others. The Holy Spirit indeed blows where it wills.
In our diocese for instance, some priests are hesitant to fully participate and practice synodality in the parishes. While there are other priests who are excited about the process, there are some who fear that this could only solicit distasteful revelations which could scandalize the faithful.
Indeed, when we consider ourselves at stake, we become resistant to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. But if we just open ourselves and joyfully submit wherever the Holy Spirit is leading us then beautiful things will spontaneously unfold before our eyes. After all, God has always something better prepared for us.
This is the message of the gospel about being like a child. Heaven is not for the paranoid and self-conscious adults but for the trusting children, spontaneously obedient to the movement of the Holy Spirit. Building God’s kingdom here on earth is not about gigantic projects and flying colors achievements but is about the constancy of doing good, no matter how small, for the love of God.
The prophet Ezekiel (2:8-3:4) in the first reading narrated how God is pleased to his obedient child – the Son of Man. This obedience brought a “sweet taste” to God’s promise.
The call for a synodal church is like “putting a net into the deep” because there’s no assurance from human perspective what awaits us there. When we open the door and go out from the comfort of our churches to meet those who are abandoned and seek those who are lost, then we become truthful to our mission of winning souls to the good Father.
We just have to trust our Lord like a child, for after all, this is all His work. If we remain where we are now and be contented with what used to be, what is good in knowing our faith if we do not lead a single soul to God? Amen.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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