29th Week in Ordinary Time (B) : Friday, 25th October 2024

With foresight towards the early Church in Ephesus with its great diversity, St Paul appealed to them to foster unity, through humility, patience and gentleness. Paul also emphasized that there was one God over all. Just as there was disunity in the church at Ephesus, the same holds true for us today. It is often quoted that unity is not uniformity. Hence, let us remember that others may understand their faith differently from us, but we are all one in Christ Jesus our Lord. This manner of understanding resonated in Jesus’ teaching.

In the Gospel, Jesus was speaking to the crowds of his day but his words can certainly be considered appropriate to our situation today. He reprimanded the people for knowing how to interpret the appearance of the earth and sky to forecast the weather, yet did not understand what was happening in their world. Jesus questioned their lack of good judgement regarding their behaviour. Competing to win human favours, they would behave unwisely, end up in court and then be cast into prison. The lesson here is to pay attention to the things occurring in our lives and then to behave in a right and just manner. Our lives must imbibe those of the saints who seek only the favour of God, rather than intentionally currying the favour of men.

Lord, help me to look at human favours wisely and act justly.