Saturday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
As I read today readings, the word empower caught my attention. This is probably because I have had the opportunity to work with an international organization (Global Brigades) that strives to empower small resource limited communities in Central America. These communities become “empowered” when over the course of time, college students, community members and the Global Brigades staff collaborate until these communities can develop the necessary resources and capabilities to thrive without the assistance of outside sources. St. Paul in today’s reading explains how he is empowered by Christ to do all that he is called to do. How are we called to be empowered by Christ in both the small and large matters of our lives?
St. Paul is praising the community in Philippi in today’s first reading. They have come to his assistance and supported his ministry through their financial support. But St. Paul explains that it is God that provides him the strength and wisdom to navigate the many circumstances of life. In both abundance and need, St. Paul is empowered by Christ to continue his work to spread the gospel. He recognizes that he will be provided what he needs and can trust in God’s protection. The generous gift from the people in Phiippi is an example of “an acceptable sacrifice” that God has provided to St. Paul that attests to God’s blessings in his life.
In the gospel reading, Jesus instructs his disciples to be wise both in small and large matters. He comments that those who are trustworthy in the small details of this world will be trustworthy in the more important aspects of living. Jesus focuses on the material and reminds His disciples that it is not possible to serve both God and mammon. When we focus on God from the start, we are directed by grace to use our material possessions in a just and generous way. In the smallest details of our daily living, Jesus invites us to be trustworthy, by allowing God- not mammon- be the driving force for all of our decisions.
How can we be empowered by Christ? In both readings today, we are not called to remove ourselves from the world, but to enter our lives deeply dependent on God’s grace. Finding God’s presence in both the blessings and challenges of this world requires a deep faith in God’s love and providence. As disciples of Christ, we look to Jesus to imitate His life through his mercy, peace and love in the midst of persecution and even death. In the smallest actions, we can profess our faith in a God that empowers us. Using our monetary resources as well as our time and talent to serve others allows us to serve a God who has given us all that we have. Unlike the empowered communities that Global Brigades seeks to create, we are not called to stand alone in the future. When we are empowered by God, we open ourselves to God’s Spirit, and we seek to become completely reliant on God’s grace for all we need. The good news is that God’s grace and love is infinite, so in all circumstance- God is there.
Loving God, Jesus shows us how we are called to live. Send down Your Spirit, so we may be trustworthy in both small and large matters of daily living. Empower us to be Your love and mercy for the world around us. We pray this with Christ, our LORD. AMEN.
Marylynn Herchline