HAVE FAITH AND BE FAITHFUL

GET READY, PREPARE FOR A HOLY DEATH

“Do not be fools”, this was the message Jesus gave us last Sunday in the parable of the rich fool. Today Jesus reminds us to be “wise”, be wise servants, ready and willing to serve. The rich man in the parable was a “fool” because lost focus of life. The fortunes of life gave him a false sense of security. Now that he has material wealth, he thought, life is secure: he could eat, drink, and make merry. He got ready for a life of self-indulgence and merry making. But death struck him that night and his riches departed him. He did not store-up anything for the life ahead. He proved to be a great fool. The wise servant in today’s gospel, on the other hand is always vigilant, alert, and ready to heed the call of the master—day in and day out. He is wise because his life is always focused on the arrival of His master.
I am reminded of the story of a priest who was giving a seminar on the topic of death and resurrection. The priest asked the congregation: “would you like to go to heaven?” The congregation said in unison, “yes, father”. The priest said again, “If God is to call you this very day, would you like to enter heaven today?” Everyone in the congregation but one young man said “yes”. The young man sat there crossing his hands on the chest, looking away from the preacher. The priest thought this is very odd. So he approached the young man and asked: “Don’t you like to go to heaven, my child?” He replied, “Yes, father, I want to go to heaven. That is why I take such great sacrifices and pains in practicing my faith”. The priest asked him: “why do you show such disinterest, when I asked if you want to go to heaven this very day?”. “You know, father”, the young man responded, “I thought you are recruiting a group to tour heaven right now. I am not yet ready for the moment. May be for the next group, I will join you”.

I am like that young man. I do want to go to heaven. I am awaiting in eager anticipation to the call of God to join Him in His eternal abode. Yet, I am not interested in joining him right now. May be another day-- I have many other wonderful things to do right now.

This is why I thought this homily would become so unpopular. This homily is about death, preparing for death, a thought which most of us want to brush aside. But, this is a topic we have to pay attention to urgently. As wise stewards, we need to be aware of the nature of our existence and the purpose of our call. Jesus makes it clear to us: Life is unpredictable. The length of our life is uncertain. God alone knows how long we live and in what manner we are to go from this life. Our life journey is on a path laid clear by the Lord. All that we can see is the present moment. The next moments are in the hands of God. Yet, thanks to the Lord Jesus, we know something about the timing and the manner of our death: It is God’s timing, it is His plan. We are secure in His grace. When Jesus is our security, we don’t have to be afraid or confused. We just need to be wise, wise enough to trust Him call our name and lead us by hand. We be wise to be servants: to be at the service of God and His people all the time.

We often joke about people who are advanced in age or are afflicted with terminal diseases that they are in the pre-departure area. Blessed are those who know that they are in the pre-departure area, that they are given the opportunity to get ready to meet the Lord. Yet, the fact is, wise are the people who even in the pink of their health, and the best of their times realize that they are strolling at the pre-departure area already. For the Lord could give me a marching order this very moment or this very night. Blessed am I, if I make use of this day as the special allowance of Divine grace for me.

The best way of preparing for death is living our life fully. This implies two aspects of life which the readings of our liturgy today put forward for us: have faith and be faithful.

Have faith: Faith defines and shapes the life we live. It is faith that dictates to us that life does not end in death. It is faith that reminds us that we have a home in heaven. Faith reveals to us the beauty of life and the plan of God. Faith demands commitment: commitment to the will of God. In the first reading we heard how Israel lived by faith. The second reading reminded us of the faith of Abraham who earned the favor of God by being obedient to the call and will of Yahweh. Even as he was not able to see how God is going to fulfill His promises of giving him a land of dreams, offspring countless and strong, make out of him a nation set-apart, holy and strong, Abraham simply believed that God’s promises will come true. Faith made him a wise follower. Jesus, in the Gospel repeats the promise of God for us: “God is pleased in us. The father is pleased to give us His Kingdom”. What more can we ask from God! Our future, and present, too, is secure in His plans. We just need to trust Him. Have faith in His promises. Have faith in His word. Have faith in His Church and the Sacraments.

Be faithful: Faith without faithfulness does not bear fruit. Jesus tells us plainly: “"Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.” Faithfulness, then is faith-in-action. Faith tells us that God is the master of our life and resources. We are only His stewards and servants. All that we are and all that we have belong to God. We are caretakers of God’s favor. As care takers we be wise in caring and responsible. Faithfulness is the mark of a servant.
Faithfulness is demanded of us because we are given so much. Remember what Jesus said: “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more." See how much God has blessed us in our life! Thanks be to God for the personal blessings of good health, physical attributes; relational blessings of a family, love and affection; social blessings of a job, and social security; and spiritual blessings of the faith, the Church, the sacraments and the Christian community. These blessings also place upon me a demand of faithfulness: Be faithful to myself, my conscience; be faithful to my vocation, my family and relationships; be faithful to my job, career and social responsibilities; and, yes, be faithful to the Lord, His Divine Word, His Commandments, His Church and the Sacraments.

A life of faith and faithfulness on earth is the secure investment we make in heaven. That is the way we get ready, stand prepared all the time for the call of the Lord. A person of faith and faithfulness does not fear death any more. He does not look at death as the final examination day, rather as the day of graduation.
Let us pray to the Lord in this Holy Eucharist: “Lord, give us faith and help us to be faithful”.

James Thayil Cmi