The Way to Graduation Day in Paradise.

WORD  for The Day
November 20, 2019

A reflection on the Bible readings in today's Holy Mass

2 Maccabees 7:1, 20-31
Luke 19:11-28
(Please read the Bible passages first)

In today's Gospel, Jesus tells us the parable of the ten servants, teaching us about good stewardship of God gifts of time, talent and treasure. Responsible stewardship is not inborn instinct in man. It is a learned virtue. In this parable, we can see three stages of learning in our spiritual growth.

GRADE SCHOOL: Most of us start here, as selfish kids, proud and vain of our talents and abilities, crediting all accomplishments to our own efforts, and rejecting the need for God and Savior (Luke 19:14).

HIGH SCHOOL: Then, as we grow older, life strikes us down flat on our face. We then learn to kneel before God and humbly beg for help. But at this stage, we are still unwilling and insecure about sharing the help and resources He sends (verse 20).

COLLEGE: As spiritual maturity sets in, we learn our calling in life. By God's grace, we see where He wants us to be, and how to unselfishly invest our gifts for the growth of His Kingdom (verses 16-19).

Finally, in the First Reading we see the MASTER'S DEGREE: Seven brothers offer not just time, talent and treasure, but their very own lives to God. One by one, they choose torture and death rather than abandon their faith in God and His laws. Their mother stood by their side all the way to the end, reminding them to love God, encouraging and strengthening their faith.

She reminds us of Mother Mary who was Jesus' first tutor as a child, who was with Him as He was tortured, who walked with Him all through the Via Dolorosa, and who stayed with Him as He died on the cross, both of them completely faithful and loyal to the Father and His plan to save us.

This is the Faith that our Lord Jesus suffered and died to teach us. Sadly, today we have Church leaders that now water down the faith that Jesus founded, and that the Apostles taught and for which they were martyred. Some leaders - in the name of ecumenism - are saying that God wills that there be many religions, so that it does not really matter what you believe in. This is denying what Jesus says that no one gets to the Father in Heaven except through Him.

Let us ask Christ's Mother and ours to tutor us like she did the young Jesus - tutor us to believe and obey ALL that Jesus the Word of God said - all the way to Graduation Day in Paradise.