“SPRINGS OF LIVING WATER”
Daily Spiritual Reflections
17th November 2021
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WEDNESDAY, THIRTY THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary
2 Mac 7: 1, 20-31; Ps 17: 1, 5-6, 8, 15; Lk 19: 11-28
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PERFECT LOVE DRIVES OUT ALL FEAR
Soon after telling the parable of the ten gold coins, Luke presents Jesus entering the city of Jerusalem on a colt, to the cries of “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord”. Jesus’ immanent entry into the city of Jerusalem led some of his followers to believe that the kingdom of God, whose presence Jesus had announced, would soon come in all its fullness. Jesus tells this parable to counter the expectation that the full arrival of God’s kingdom was imminent. The parable suggests rather that there would be a long interval between Jesus’ enthronement as king at his resurrection and his return at the end of time in power and glory. This long interval is a time of opportunity for the creative service of others, a time to use the gifts and resources we have been given in doing the Lord’s work.
St Peter tells us: “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1Pet 4:10). One of the servants to whom the master in the parable entrusted resources did nothing with what he had been given, because of fear. Fear left him paralyzed, held him back. It is striking the number of times Jesus says in the gospel ‘Do not be afraid’.
Jesus was very aware of how fear can prevent people from responding to his call. The opposite of faith in the gospels is not so much unbelief, but fear. Fear should never govern our relationship with the Lord; that relationship is to be governed by love. It is because we have been loved by the Lord that we love him in return, and we express our love by placing the gifts the Lord has given us at his service and that of his people, without being held back by fear of failure. When we rise above our fears in response to the Lord’s call, we make it easier for others to do the same. We encourage each other, i.e., we give each other courage, by being courageous ourselves.
Response: When I awake, O Lord, I shall be filled with the vision of your presence.
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