20261030 Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Phil 1:1-11; Luke 14:1-6): Standing Here, Together Bring to Fulfillment the Good Work the Lord Has Begun “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Dear brothers and sisters, today I open with these words of Philippians 1:6, the very words we hear at a priestly ordination, when the bishop entrusts the ministry of the priesthood to those who have served as deacons. These words have always seemed to me a precious gift. Whether hardship comes that is far from what we expected or hoped for, or whether we find ourselves dwelling in blessings and thanksgiving almost too great to bear, we can place everything into the hands of God. Even in times of difficulty, I could entrust myself to the God who will, in the end, bring about what is good, and so I was able to keep my peace. And when good things were multiplied, these words reminded me that the cause of it all lies not in myself. They allowed me to stand before the Lord just as I am, with a humbled heart. Yet even though entrusting everything to the Lord is a humble way to live, we must remain awake, so that we do not live out our precious share and the grace given to us too slowly, or let them slip away without meaning. Let us begin with gratitude for a day newly given, with its clear air and autumn sunlight. And let us keep watch until we fall asleep, content with the poor man’s joy of one small corner where we can lay down the weariness of body and mind we have carried all day long. Time has always seemed to me so precious. This time will never return. May I become a person who can color even one small part of this world with a more beautiful light. And there are so many things we might carelessly overlook: looking deeply into the soul and seeking to understand it, or reflecting in God’s presence on a meditation that came to us through someone’s story. For the prayers and struggles that are laid down day after day must be gathered, little by little, into the storehouse of the soul, from which we will one day give to others on this earth. They must become knowledge and a deep, mature understanding, to be spent without reserve. I turn again to the words of Saint Paul, in Philippians 1:9-11: “And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.” The Lord leads each of us, through every way that suits us, to grow and mature in soul, and to cultivate and care for one another. Knowledge and experience, understanding and feeling, relationships and the response of the soul, the gifts and the seasons of growth given to us to accomplish the work entrusted to us in the world: we must never forget that all of these have been given in abundance. To human eyes there may seem to be differences, and these may even give rise to foolish discrimination or distinction. But in the eyes of God, and in the end, we will come to see that nothing has been given without worth, and no form of life is without value. And when we come to realize that a gracious providence has been prepared, whereby the one who has plenty naturally pours out to fill the weakness of the one in need, and whereby even in someone’s frailty we are given a gift that awakens in one another the meaning and worth of life, then, wherever we are and among whomever we meet, we will encounter the Lord, who begins the good work and in the end brings it to completion. This is why the reason behind the Lord’s words in the Gospel of Luke becomes so clear: “Which of you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, will not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?” Rather than being confined within the fixed frame of the “sabbath” as seen through human eyes, the Lord desires that we grow into a more mature love, so that God’s will may be fulfilled in one another. He does not want us to fall into the error of a vain knowledge, one that boasts of a closed-off wisdom. He wants us to be steeped in true wisdom, a wisdom that discerns what is right, that is, a wisdom that gladly recognizes where God’s will lies and puts it into action. When we do, our lives will bear fruit in due season, in the maturity we have attained, and we will be able to give true glory and praise to God, the foundation of it all. This is our true nature, and our calling, as we make our way to the God who has given us life and spirit. Amen.