Oct 24 2020 Reflection

Saturday 24 October 2020

First Reading: EPH 4:7-16
Responsorial Psalm:
Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
PS 122:1-2, 3-4AB, 4CD-5
Gospel Reading: LK 13:1-9

Today’s Note: Saturday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel Reading:

Some people told Jesus about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.
He said to them in reply, 
“Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way 
they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!
Or those eighteen people who were killed 
when the tower at Siloam fell on them–
do you think they were more guilty 
than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!”

And he told them this parable: 
“There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, 
and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,
he said to the gardener,
‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree 
but have found none.
So cut it down.
Why should it exhaust the soil?’
He said to him in reply,
‘Sir, leave it for this year also, 
and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; 
it may bear fruit in the future.
If not you can cut it down.’”

Reflection:

. . . to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the Body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:12)

Perhaps you zipped through this reading and thought, “This doesn’t apply to me. I’m not an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a teacher.” Think again! It might not be your role to stand at the pulpit to instruct a congregation, but every person in the body of Christ is a teacher as well as a learner. Each of us has our own unique expertise in both practical and spiritual matters. Each of us is meant to use our gifts to equip and build up our brothers and sisters in Christ.

How can we be teachers? Maybe you’re computer savvy, and a friend or family member has asked you how to do something online. It’s tempting to say, “Sure, that’s easy” and proceed to outline a series of steps or, quicker still, to click icons one after another yourself until the task is accomplished. It takes far longer to have your friend do the navigation himself as you look on, offering only the instruction or encouragement he needs at that moment.

But which method better equips him to do the work the next time a similar challenge arises? Sharing your expertise by walking alongside him as he performs the tasks himself will give him the long-term skills he needs. That’s what a good teacher does. And that’s what equipping the body of Christ looks like. 

Your aptitudes or experiences are necessary to build up the Church. So recognize your gifts. Maybe you have children and have learned from experience how to run a household. Maybe you are handy around the house. Or perhaps you have studied Scripture and can share your insights. Even if your skills don’t seem all that impressive to you, you can be a wonderful teacher of love.

Don’t disparage the value of what you can teach. Remember, it takes all of us working together to come to the “full stature of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). You are an integral part of the body of Christ. You have been blessed by God, and he wants you to share those blessings with your brothers and sisters.

“Lord, I offer you my gifts. Help me build up your people today.”