THE MASTER'S REWARD: BLESSINGS, SEVERE OR LIGHT BEATING
(Luke 12:39-48)
The Lord Jesus gives us abundant
grace and wants us to live and work with. The fact is that every act performed,
good or bad has its reward. Every omission or commission attracts corresponding
reward or consequences.
The decision to abide by the law
and will of God brings down blessings and living more in the state of grace.
The decision to disobey the will of God takes away divine grace from us and
separates us from God.
Apart from the blessedness to
which we should aspire and the perfection which is our ultimate goal, that God
gratuitously lavishes upon us, Jesus in the Gospel of today reveals to us
Venial and Mortal sins with their corresponding punishments.
The issue of mortal and venial
sin used to be a debated case among some believers. Some of them say that sin
is sin, njo bu njo. To some extent they are correct. But there are
degrees. While some people may commit sin by mistake or without full knowledge,
others commit with full consent and will. While some offend God in light
matters others do so in grave matters.
How to know who is offending God
in great degree is what Jesus tells us today about the servant who knows what
his master wants and fails to do it. Jesus said he should be given severe
beating. This is mortal sin. It's punishment is more. On the other hand, when
one does not have full knowledge of his master's will and fails, he will be
given light beating. This is venial sin.
Let us look within ourselves and
know to which extent we obey or disobey God. Have we not actually known the
will of God for us? What is still making God to come in and find us not in the
state of grace? Let us not be grave sinners. Let us not also be comfortable and
chronic venial sinners. Let us always be conscious of doing the will of our
master. May we always run out to receive the light or severe beating in the
Sacrament of reconciliation to avoid receiving the eternal beating of not
seeing God for ever. May we readily beat
ourselves with the words: Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa (through
my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault)
Let us pray
Dear Lord, we look up to you to
reward us with blessings of true peace and everlasting life. We aspire to be
good. We want to be perfect like you our heavenly Father. But a lot of forces
weigh us down. We are weighed down by disobedience to your will,by the flesh
and by the many temptations around us.
Help us we pray, not to sin
against you especially in grave matters. If we fall for any reason, dear
Lord,pick us up and heal us through the Sacrament of Reconciliation through
Christ our Lord. Amen.
God bless your Wednesday
Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh
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