[stephenkhoo]

Wednesday, 31 October, 2012, 30th Week, Ordinary Time

FIDELITY TO OUR VOCATION REQUIRES GROWTH IN DISCIPLESHIP IN THE LORD

SCRIPTURE READINGS: EPH 6:1-9; LK 13:22-30The scripture readings invite us to be faithful to our vocation in life.  St Paul in the first reading reminds the Ephesians that regardless of whatever vocation and state of life they are in, they must remain faithful.  Children must therefore obey and respect their parents, since they are their guardians; parents must love their children and treat them with compassion and understanding; servants must serve faithfully whoever is in charge of them, and employers must treat servants with dignity and respect.This call to faithfulness is rooted in God’s fidelity to us.  This is proclaimed in the responsorial psalm when the psalmist calls us all to praise God for His mercy and love.  Indeed, as the psalmist says, “the Lord is faithful in all His words and holy in all His works.”   His works glorify the goodness of God and His compassion for us shows that He is truly the King of all creation.How then can we be faithful to our calling in life?  We need to grow in discipleship.  What does this entail?  To be a disciple means to be disciplined.  Hence, Jesus’ warning to enter the narrow door is timely.  He said, “Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.”  Jesus was not interested in theoretical and speculative questions as to how many would be saved.  It is more important to know how one can be saved.Of course in speaking about the narrow door, we remember too that Jesus not only called Himself the Shepherd but also the Gate, the door.  So the door which Jesus is referring to is Himself, since He is the gate.  In John 10:9 He said, “I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved.”   This door He had in mind was the way of the passion, death and resurrection.  Through the cross and the resurrection, He makes it possible for us to find the way to heaven and His Father’s house.Faithful disciples of Christ must follow Him by struggling to enter this Door.  If not, Jesus warns us in today’s gospel, “there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves turned outside.  And men from east and west, from north and south, will come to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.”  There is also a warning from Jesus when He said, “Yes, there are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last.”  Baptism and membership in the Church alone does not guarantee our salvation, unless we walk the same path of Jesus in doing the will of the Father and fulfill the vocation that God has given to us in life.Thus, when Jesus advised us to strive to enter the narrow door, it implies the need to struggle to grow in fidelity to our identity as Christians as well as to our vocation in life.  Although in principle we are children of God, like the Jews, yet unless we live out our identity concretely in our roles, we will not be able to find ourselves, nor find God. The Evil One is always tempting us to rebel and be unfaithful to who we are and what we are called to do.Thus, to enter the kingdom of God, we must fight against the temptations of the flesh, so that we might not fall into the traps of the Evil one and sin against God by not doing His will through negligence, laziness, indifference and compromise.   We must always be on guard since we do not know the time the Master would be coming.For this reason, we must exercise discipline and not become lax in our spiritual and personal life. If the Church insists on obedience and discipline in following the doctrines, and especially in our prayer life, including works of mortifications and penance, it is because we need to strengthen ourselves for the battle against Satan and all his temptations.  Discipline is necessary because the flesh is weak, even if the spirit is willing.  Without exercising discipline in the way we practice our faith and in the way we live, we can easily lose focus and direction.  So discipline is essential to fend off the devil’s temptations, especially in moments of weakness.Hence, anyone who is serious about his spiritual life and growth in discipleship would understand the importance not just of obedienceto the laws of the Church but more especially self discipline.  External obedience and discipline are only tools to bring about interior change and conversion of heart.   Thus, it behooves us not to disregard the significance of self-discipline that is required of us.  Whether it is faithfulness in prayer and spiritual exercises, or ongoing formation, or our duties at work or family life, we must be faithful and responsible.  Although some matters might seem trivial, yet disobedience or failure to be faithful to our responsibilities can be signs of rebellion and pride in our hearts.  Fact is, if we are not faithful in small things, we cannot be faithful in big things.  Like the Jews, Jesus warns us not to rely on our office, position and natural claims but that we must prove the worthiness of our calling by the works that we do and the lives that we lead.However, this exercise of discipline must be inspired and motivated by Christ.  This is what the first reading is reminding us about.  Paul was not trying to resolve family or working relationships.  What is important is that everything is done from the perspective of Christ.  “Work hard and willingly, but do it for the sake of the Lord and not for the sake of men.”  Christian discipline is not motivated by self effort or personal gain, but for the love of Christ. Christian discipline is not discipline resulting from personal efforts.  Rather, it is the consequence of the grace we have received through Christ.Christian discipline in the final analysis simply means that everything must be done in the Lord, for the Lord, and with the Lord.   When St Paul urged the different groups of individuals, whether children, parents or slaves to be responsible to their state of life, he always included the Lord as the basis for acting thus.  To do everything in the Lord means sharing His mind and heart in the way He obeyed and served the Father.  To do everything for the Lord means to do everything for His greater glory and for love of Him.Finally, to do everything with the Lord means to rely on grace, and working in union with Him.   Yes, the good news is that we do not struggle or work alone. God is with us and His grace is sufficient! All we need is to trust Him and cooperate with His grace at work in our lives.  Otherwise, self-discipline can either make us proud and self-righteous or disheartened by our failures.  To be able to walk the life of Christ in itself is His grace.