Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ. – Ephesians 3:8

       Paul was an antichrist. Moses was not a good speaker. Peter was a fisherman. And me? I didn’t know anything about the Bible, so how could I serve God? But if you will notice, those that God called in the Bible were neither well-versed in Scripture nor had any background in theology.

       If you ask a jeepney barker for directions, he’ll tell you how to get to your destination by telling you what jeep to ride. If you ask a taxi driver, he’ll guide you through his known shortcuts. If you ask a cigarette vendor, he’ll tell you the shortest route on foot possible. Though you may arrive faster by riding a cab than walking, what’s important is you reach the same destination.

       Our Good News is Jesus. You may be talking to just one or to a thousand. You may be fixing chairs at a prayer meeting or playing an instrument. No matter how big or small your deed of faith, as long as it brings God to others, it gladdens His heart. Dreus Cosio (andreus.cosio@gmail.com)

Reflection: We are all bearers of the Good News. Use what’s in your hands, what’s in your past, and what is to come to proclaim the Gospel.

Dear God, may everything we say or do be used to give You glory and share Your love to others. Amen.

St. Peter of Alcantara, pray for us.

We are all stewards of God’s grace unto salvation. It is not just Paul or a select few who have been given such a gift and responsibility. We are all called to take hold of the gift of salvation and share it with whomever we can. This is part of the nature of the Gospel. The Gospel never wants to be hidden where others cannot see it. By its nature, it must be proclaimed from the housetops until it has reached the ends of the earth.

2 Brothers and sisters: You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for your benefit, 3 namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly earlier. 4 When you read this you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to human beings in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, 6 that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same Body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel. 7 Of this I became a minister by the gift of God’s grace that was granted me in accord with the exercise of his power. 8 To me, the very least of all the holy ones, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for all what is the plan of the mystery hidden from ages past in God who created all things, 10 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the Church to the principalities and authorities in the heavens. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness of speech and confidence of access through faith in him.

R: You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

2 God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the Lord, and he has been my savior. 3 With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation. (R) 4 Give thanks to the Lord, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. (R) 5 Sing praise to the Lord for his glorious achievement; let this be known throughout all the earth. 6 Shout with exultation, O city of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel! (R)

The last line here is very critical. It does not just apply to the distribution of grace but to all the good things that come from God. Whatever we have, whether we think we have earned it or not, is a gift from God and we will be called to give an account of how we have used it at the end of our lives. It is good for us to realize that we have a responsibility to use what we have been given for the benefit of others as well as ourselves.

Stay awake! For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.

39 Jesus said to his disciples: “Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” 41 Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” 42 And the Lord replied, “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? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. 44 Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. 47 That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; 48 and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

think:  We have a responsibility to use what we have been given for the benefit of others as well as ourselves.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Sirach 46-51

MUCH MORE FROM THOSE WHO HAVE MORE

Responsibility could be a terrifying thing. No doubt, it gives honor to anyone who is entrusted with it. But as age-old wisdom puts it, with honor comes onus — burden! And with more responsibility comes even more load. The higher up one goes, the more burden he carries.

       This, of course, is true for so long as one is cognizant of the authentic nature of responsibility and authority — that is, entrusted to us by somebody else. One does not simply usurp authority and heap a burden upon one’s self. Who would do that in his right frame of mind? Why would anyone load himself with so much to carry and to be accountable for?

       This is precisely the burden associated with responsibility of the authentic kind, understood according to how the Gospel would have us understand. It becomes a burden on account of the ensuing accountability. Something usurped is that which one bestows to one’s self, and anything that is self-bestowed entails no accountability whatsoever.

       The kind of responsibility that is given, however, entails the burden of accountability. This may well be the reason why people are afraid of belonging to any group. Just look at the trend nowadays. Young people go to Church on Sundays, but whether they really “go to Mass” is highly debatable. They stand outside or sit by the sidelines, cooped up in their inner world marked by their inseparable connection with their smartphones. Referred to as “simbang tabi,” young people want to be physically there, without really being engaged. While they want to be always informed, they are never fully attuned.

       All this translates to a denial of responsibility and accountability that are connected with the great divorce between faith and life, or between believing and belonging. Today’s Gospel is a call to bridge this divide and put together responsibility and accountability. The truth of the matter is that the mere fact that you are reading this means we all have been given much, and much more is expected from us. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Do you belong to any spiritual group or community? Do you have any accountability partners who help you become more responsible?

Dear Lord, teach me to be more responsible with what You have given me, and to use the same for Your glory.